Correct breast feeding can be considered a tool for the post-natal prophylaxis of craniofacial abnormalities, or at least a way of reducing their extent. Inadequate bottle feeding forces the tongue and cheek muscles to develop a compensating and atypical function, in order to obtain the milk. As a result, there can be an adaptation change of the dental and bone structures, leading to malocclusi...

Deleterious oral habits, such as non-nutritive sucking or tongue thrusting, if not intercepted at an early stage can cause complex malocclusions. This manuscript describes a clinical case report of a successful interception of a severe anterior dental open bite caused by thumb sucking and tongue thrusting habits. The case involved a six-year-old female patient treated with the use of palatal sp...

BACKGROUND The development of oral motor control depends partially on motor and sensory experiences. AIM To analyze the relationship between the duration of breastfeeding, artificial feeding and sucking habits, and of these parameters with the orofacial motor performance. METHOD Participants of this study were one hundred and seventy-six children aged 6 to 12 years. All subjects were submit...

OBJECTIVE To evaluate the association of breastfeeding duration, pacifier use and nasal air flow with occlusal disorders among children. METHODS This cross-sectional observational study included 138 children aged 4 and 5 years selected in all the daycare centers of the city of Campo Limpo Paulista, Brazil. Questionnaires were applied to mothers to identify total duration of exclusive breastfe...

Nutritive deprivation, suckling deprivation, gastronintestinal fill, and milk availability contribute to the control of sucking (as measured by jaw-muscle electromyograph) and ingestion of milk (provided via a tongue cannula) in 11-13-day-old rat pups. Depriving pups of the opportunity to suckle reliably increases subsequent sucking and milk intake. Intraoral delivery of milk also increases suc...

A simple method to promote the use of human milk and subsequent breast feeding in low birthweight infants was evaluated in 32 babies. In the 'intervention' group (n = 16; mean (SD) weight 1559 (228) g and length of gestation 33.2 (1.8) weeks), infants were allowed to suckle at the breast when their general condition permitted after as much milk as possible had been expressed, and were then give...