Oral parafunctional habits among preschool children in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia

Aim: The aim of the study is to assess the prevalence and the related factors of parafunctional oral habits among preschool children in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. Materials and Methods: The study sample included 435 children (3–6 years) randomly selected from public and private preschools in the different regions of Riyadh. Questionnaires were distributed to be filled by children's parents. The questionnaire included questions concerning child's feeding method during infancy, number of the child siblings, and his/her order among them. The other part of the questionnaire included questions concerning the types of parafunctional habits that the child might suffer from. The last part inquired if the child suffered from psychological, social, medical, or sleeping problems. Descriptive statistics were performed and Pearson's Chi-square test was used to observe the relations between categorical study and outcome variables. Results: Nail-biting habit was highly prevalent among the study samples (27.2%), followed by mouth breathing during sleeping (13.8%), thumb sucking (7.4%), and teeth clenching (6.0%). A statistically significant relation was found between the age groups and teeth clenching and lip sucking habits (P = 0.001).There was a highly statistically significant relation between malocclusion and the habits of thumb sucking and pacifier sucking (P = 0.001 and 0.01, respectively). Protrusion of anterior teeth was statistically significantly related to thumb sucking (P < 0.0001). Respiratory and tonsils problems were related to mouth breathing (P = 0.004 and < 0.0001, respectively). The presence of dental caries was statistically significantly related to the habit of teeth clenching (P = 0.03). Conclusion: Nail-biting habit was highly prevalent among preschool children in Riyadh, followed by mouth breathing, thumb sucking, and teeth clenching. Malocclusion was the main factor related to the habits of thumb sucking and pacifier sucking. Respiratory and tonsils problems were related to mouth breathing. Teeth clenching was highly related to the presence of carious teeth.