GONDIM, Candice Regadas et al. Prevalence of anterior open bite and its association with non-nutritive sucking habits in preschoolers. RGO, Rev. gaúch. odontol. (Online) []. 2010, 58, 4, pp. 475-480. ISSN 1981-8637.

OBJECTIVE: Investigated the association between anterior open bite and non-nutritive sucking habits in preschoolers of Patos, Paraíba, Brazil. METHODS: This observational, quantitative, cross-sectional study included 140 preschoolers aged 4 to 5 years, of both genders, with complete set of primary teeth, attending public daycare facilities of the city of Patos, Paraíba. The study was done in two stages. In the first stage, the parents signed a free and informed consent form and answered a questionnaire on the non-nutritive sucking habits and feeding practices of the child. In the second stage, the oral cavity was examined to determine if the child had an anterior open bite. The data were processed by the software SPSS version 13.0 using descriptive and inferential (chi-square test) statistics. RESULTS: The prevalence of anterior open bite in the studied population was 27.9%. Its occurrence was associated with breastfeeding duration (p<0.001), prolonged bottle-feeding (p=0.025) and use of pacifiers (p<0.001), especially if pacifiers were used regularly (p<0.001) after the child's third year of life (p<0.001). CONCLUSION: The prevalence of anterior open bite was low in preschoolers of Patos, Paraíba. It was mostly associated with the regular use of a pacifier after the third year of life.

: Primary dentition; Open bite; Fingersucking.