Oral habits as risk factors for anterior open bite in the deciduous and mixed dentition - cross-sectional study.

AIM Anterior open bite (AOB) is an occlusal anomaly commonly associated with oral habits (OH). The aim of this study was to determine the prevalence of OH as a risk factor for the AOB. MATERIALS AND METHODS A group of children aged between 3 and 12 years were observed. The statistical methodology included independent chi-square test, Fisher's exact test and binary logistic regression. RESULTS The frequency of oral habits was of 43.5% in the deciduous dentition and 54.2% in the mixed dentition. There was a statistically significant association of pacifier sucking: 61.7 and 16.1 odd ratios (OR), and tongue thrust: 3.9 and 9.2 OR with AOB in both groups, respectively. Thumb sucking occurred only in the deciduous dentition with 5.6 OR. CONCLUSION OH and AOB have a high frequency in children. They hinder the normal development of dental and skeletal structures. As OH are risk factors for AOB, the damaging habits most frequently associated are: pacifier sucking, thumb sucking, and tongue thrust. Due to the correlation between the prevalence of AOB and OH, prevention strategies incorporating psychological data related to children should be integrated into a national public health programme.