Dentists are often questioned by anxious parents about the effects of digit sucking and the possible ways of stopping their child's habit. This article discusses the aetiology, prevalence and effects of digit sucking, various means of stopping the habit and the problems that may occur if digit sucking persists into the permanent dentition.
Thumb sucking is considered normal in babies and young children. Natural nutritive sucking instinct leads some babies to suck their thumb or fingers during the first few months of life, or even before birth (Figure 1). Babies have a natural urge to suck, which usually decreases after the age of six months as weaning occurs. However, many babies continue to suck their thumbs after this time. Thumb sucking can become a habit in babies and young children who use it to comfort themselves when they feel bored, tired or anxious, although it does not necessarily mean that the child is insecure.1 Jenkins et al found that digit sucking is more prevalent in children of higher social classes.2
In the UK, the prevalence of digit sucking has received little research. Patel examined 713 schoolchildren in Kettering between the ages of 7 and 11 and found that 23.6% of children reported a history of a habit and 12.1% reported a habit that persisted past the age of 7 years.3 The Avon Longitudinal Study of Pregnancy and Childhood found that, at 15 months old, 63.2% of children had a sucking habit, of which 37.6% sucked a comforter or dummy and 22.8% sucked a digit. By 36 months, all non-nutritive sucking had reduced to 40%, with a similar ratio between dummy and digit sucking.4 A Portuguese study examined 1,190 pre-school children between 3 and 5 years of age and found 40.2% to have non-nutritive sucking habits, with 12.5% being digit suckers.5
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