Relationship between harmful oral habits and malocclusions in childhood

Abstract

Deleterious habits are those that can cause damage or alter the facial growth pattern. These are closely linked to Graber's triad, which is made up of intensity, frequency, and duration, capable of causing damage to the stomatognathic system. The most common nurturing habit found in children is finger sucking, followed by pacifier sucking. Oral habits interfere with the normal development of alveolar processes, stimulating or modifying the direction of growth of certain oral structures, which can give rise to malocclusions. The pacifier acts in the mouth as an unintentional force that can produce and/or accentuate malocclusion by altering muscle tone. The objective of this study was to identify the main harmful habits developed in early childhood, show the consequences caused and how early elimination can contribute to the treatment and prevention of malocclusions.