Damage to the primary dentition resulting from thumb and finger (digit) sucking.

It is estimated that approximately 50 percent of infants at one year of age suck a thumb or finger. The number decreases rapidly by ages four to five years. The average age for spontaneous cessation of the habit is 3.8 years of age. Anterior open bite is the most frequent malocclusion reported with digit sucking. In this study the authors investigated the influence of thumb and finger-sucking in the anterior and posterior sections of the primary...