Relationship between oral parafunctional/nutritive sucking habits and temporomandibular joint dysfunction in primary dentition

Abstract

The aim of this study was to evaluate the relationship between nutritive and parafunctional habits and the presence of temporomandibular dysfunction (TMD) in children with primary dentition. Ninety nine children, aged 3-5 years, were examined to check for the presence or absence of signs and symptoms of TMD (headache, preauricular pain, earache, masticatory muscle tenderness, deviation on opening, occlusal interference and asymmetric movement of the mandible), oral parafunctions (bruxism, nail biting, finger/thumb sucking, speech alteration, mouth breathing, pacifier and atypical swallowing) and nutritive habits (breast- or bottle-feeding) through interview and clinical examination. The results were submitted to descriptive statistical analysis and Fisher's exact test. The results showed that only atypical swallowing was positively related to TMD (P < 0.0001); other oral parafunctional and nutritive habits were not related to TMD. It was concluded that parafunctional habits, with the exception of atypical swallowing, and feeding methods were not determinants for the presence of signs and/or symptoms of TMD in the sample of children included in the study.