Analysis of the relation of intrauterine digital sucking with the permanence of the habit in the post birth child

Abstract

AIM: This research aims to investigate the development of this habit’s appearance, which may be observed even at the intrauterine stage and which also persists for a long time. MATERIAL AND METHODS: 25 gestations that presented children practicing intrauterine digital sucking habits were followed-up. The initial analysis was accomplished through routine ultrasound examination, using pregnant women between the 4th and 8th gestation months who visited João de Barros Barreto University Hospital. Detecting this habit, every quarter an afterbirth accessory was carried out,over a 1 year period, in order to observe the habit’s persistence. This phase was developed in the Dental Office of the Brasil Sorridente Program. Statistical analysis were carried out regarding the obtained outcomes using the described statistics and inferential methods, and the Chi-square test with 5% significance level was applied. RESULTS: This research observed that 72% of babies were male gender and 28% female gender, 68% of babies persisted with the digital sucking habit 1 month afterbirth, 72% until the second month, 56% until the fifth month and 48% until one year old. Assessing the habit’s post natal persistence according to gender, the binominal test was applied which was significant (p=0.0186). It was concluded that the number of male babies with digital sucking habit was above the female gender (p=0.0455), the habit’s persistence was reduced by 50% when compared with the first month, however, the p=0.2474 indicates that the reduction was not significant. CONCLUSION: Our outcomes cannot be generalized; however they can be used as a base for future research in this area.