Abstract
Tongue function is regarded as a primary factor in the etiology of malocclusion, but details of the relationship remain unknown. The purpose of the present study was to investigate maximum tongue pressure, in preschool children to examine its relationship with dental occlusion. A total of 477 healthy children (248 boys, 229 girls, aged 4–6 years) were recruited. Dental occlusion was assessed visually to record sagittal, vertical, and transverse malocclusion, and space discrepancies. Maximum tongue pressure was measured using a balloon-based tongue pressure measurement device. Additionally, 72 children (37 boys, 35 girls, aged 4–5 years) were recruited for a 1-year follow-up study. Approximately half of the children (53.5%) showed some type of malocclusion in the present study. Maximum tongue pressure was highest in the 6-year-old children. The results of a two-way ANCOVA show that the effect of age was significant (p < 0.001); however, the effects of sex and dental occlusion, or the interactions among these variables, did not reach significance. Additionally, maximum tongue pressure increased significantly in the 1-year follow-up study (p < 0.001), especially in the normal occlusion group. Maximum tongue pressure increases markedly with growth in the preschool years and can be associated with some types of malocclusion in preschool children.
Highlights
Malocclusion is characterized by the presence of misaligned teeth and/or maxillary and mandibular discrepancies [1,2], and results from a combination of genetic influences and environmental causes during development [3–5]
The present study showed that excessive overjet and deep overbite were associated with the highest prevalence of malocclusion
The prevalence of these two types of malocclusion is highly variable in other countries, probably due to variation in the criteria used for assessing these malocclusions [2,8–17]
Summary
Malocclusion is characterized by the presence of misaligned teeth and/or maxillary and mandibular discrepancies [1,2], and results from a combination of genetic influences and environmental causes during development [3–5]. Malocclusion in the primary dentition is thought to be one indicator for malocclusion in the permanent dentition [6,7]. The prevalence of malocclusion in the primary dentition of preschool children is reported to range from 45.5% to 83.9% based on the criteria for each study, and excessive overjet (10.2–46.1%) and deep overbite (6.05–41.5%) occur with relatively high frequencies [2,8–17]. Deleterious oral habits, such as thumb or dummy sucking, incompetent lip closure, and tongue thrusting are thought to be environmental causes leading to malocclusion [4,5,18–21]. Tongue function is regarded as a primary factor in the etiology of malocclusion [4,20,22–25]. It is clinically essential to objectively evaluate tongue movement in relation to malocclusion
Sign-in/Register to view highlights & summary Sign-in/Register to access full text options 
Free) 
Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Schedule a call
