Vol.:(0123456789) 1 3 European Archives of Paediatric Dentistry https://doi.org/10.1007/s40368-018-0391-3 ORIGINAL SCIENTIFIC ARTICLE Oral habits and malocclusion in children resident in Ile-Ife Nigeria K. A. Kolawole 1  · M. O. Folayan 1  · H. O. Agbaje 2  · T. A. Oyedele 3  · N. K. Onyejaka 4  · E. O. Oziegbe 1 Received: 2 May 2018 / Accepted: 9 November 2018 © European Academy of Paediatric Dentistry 2018 Abstract Aim To determine the: prevalence of oral habits in children aged 1–12 years in Ife Central Local Government Area of Osun State Nigeria; association between oral habits and malocclusion in children aged 6–12 years; diferences in orthodontic treatment needs of children with and without oral habits and the efect of digit sucking severity on occlusal profle. Methods This was a cross-sectional study that collected data through a household survey. Information collected included the age, gender, and oral habits of study participants. Intra-oral examination was conducted. The Dental Aesthetic Index (DAI) was used to assess orthodontic treatment needs for 6–12-year-old participants. Independent sample t test was used to compare mean DAI scores of participants with and without oral habits. A digit sucking severity index was developed and digit sucking severity was determined. Results One hundred and thirty (13.1%) study participants had 142 oral habits. The most common oral habit was digit suck- ing. The most common malocclusion traits were spacing (29.9%), crowding (21.7%) and increased overjet (16.4%). DAI scores were signifcantly higher in participants with tongue thrusting (p < 0.001) and bruxism (p = 0.01) habits compared with participants without the habits. Among the 67 participants with oral habits, 54 (80.6%) had no need for treatment, 9 (13.4%) needed elective treatment and treatment was mandatory for 4 (6.0%) participants. Conclusions Digit sucking was the most frequently practiced oral habit in the study population. Tongue thrusting and brux- ism were signifcantly associated with greater severity of malocclusion in children 6–12 years old when compared with peers who had no habits. Most children with oral habits had no need for treatment. Keywords Oral habits · Digit sucking · Digit sucking severity index · Malocclusion · Orthodontic treatment need · Children Introduction Habits are formed when there is a tendency towards an act that has become a repeated performance, relatively fxed, consistent and easy to perform by an individual (Zwemer et al. 2008). Oral habits include sucking habits (digit and lip sucking), biting habits (lip, nail and object biting) tongue thrusting and bruxism. Sucking is vital in the early development of an infant: it is essential for receiving nutrition, providing stability in distress and for exploring the environment (Harding et al. 2006). Some foetuses suck their digits in utero while the vast majority of infants do so during the frst 6–24 months of life (Proft et al. 2007). Infants grasp and put objects in their mouth during the frst year of life to gain a sense of its size and shape, the sensori-motor stage of cognitive devel- opment (Berger 2008). During this stage, infants progres- sively construct knowledge and understanding of the world by coordinating experiences with physical interactions such as sucking on objects (Santrock 2008). Sucking habits become detrimental to oral health when it persists beyond infancy. Sucking and other habits are associated with short and long term dental and orthodontic problems (Silva and Manton 2014b). They are determinants of malocclusion among pre-schoolers (Correa-Faria et al. * K. A. Kolawole kikelomokolawole@gmail.com; kkole@oauife.edu.ng 1 Department of Child Dental Health, Faculty of Dentistry, Obafemi Awolowo University, Ile-Ife 220005, Osun State, Nigeria 2 Department of Orthodontics, International Medical Complex, Alshurfa Najran 66248, Saudi Arabia 3 Department of Surgery, Benjamin Carson, Snr, School of Medicine, Babcock University, Ilisan-Remo, Ogun State, Nigeria 4 Department of Child Dental Health, University of Nigeria, Ituku Ozalla, Enugu State, Nigeria