The use of pacifiers along with thumb sucking has always been regarded as a risk for poor development of the jaw and misalignment of teeth in children. A recent study from Mexico also found that allergies in children can contribute to misalignment of the jaw and teeth.
The study, published in the Archives of Disease in Childhood, looked at data from more than 1,000 children between the ages of 4 and 5 years old. Questionaires about the use of bottles, pacifiers, and thumb sucking were completed and included questions about current and past nasal allergies.
The researchers found several factors that increased the risk for jaw and teeth misalignment.
The use of a pacifier or thumb sucking before the age of 1 year significantly effected the development of the jaw and resulted in a characteristic abnormal bite. Changes were especially evident in children who used the pacifier or thumb sucked for more than four months in their first year of life.
The chararcteristic bite of pacifier users and thumb suckers was a posterior bite in the rear teeth called a posterior crossbite.
Children with chronic nasal allergies also had a characteristic misalignment. These children had what is called an open bite. In these children the front top and bottom teeth do not touch when the mouth is closed.
The study supported previous evidence that pacifiers and thumb sucking negatively impacts formation of the jaw and teeth, but was one of the first that showed the effect of nasal allergies.
Posted by Dr. Christina Gutierrez on November 2, 2006 01:10 PM
