Thumb/Finger sucking habit in children: An overview

Today I am writing on thumb/finger sucking. The choice of this topic arose from an incidence that occurred in my neighborhood.

One sunny afternoon, I heard quarreling voices of Mummy Favour and Mrs Fakunle. What could have cause the quarrel between two friends? Mummy Favour is currently nursing her 2nd child, Blessing who is 2 years plus. Blessing habitually sucks her right thumb. People around the neighborhood (including Mrs Fakunle) always clamor about her thumb sucking habit. Some often beat her while some always remove the thumb from her mouth when passing by, to the extent that she cries whenever some people aproaches her. Despite all these, her thumb sucking habit didn't stop.

One day, Mrs Fakunle suggested that Mummy Favour should put aqueous extract of bitter leaf on her baby's thumb perhaps the bitterness of the leaf would keep her away from the sucking habit. Unfortunately she suck the thumb together with the bitterness of the bitter leaf. Few hours later, she began to purge that her mother needed to rush her to the hospital. The mother was guessing it could be the effect of the bitter leaf extract. On her return from the hospital, she aggressively shouted on everyone in the neighborhood to desist from her daughter. This was the cause of the quarrel between the mother and her friend, Mrs Fakunle who insisted the baby must stop the habit.

This was my point of interception. 'Leave the baby alone now', I said to Mrs Fakunle. It is for her own good, she replied. I put the task on myself to handle the matter. Curiously, I consulted a dentist for professional clarifications. Below is the summary of my conversation with Dr Ibikunle of the Federal Medical Center, Abeokuta, Nigeria.

Me: Good morning sir

Dr Ibikunle: Good morning. What can I do for you?

Me: I am Mr Sakariyau. I want to ask you some questions concerning thumb sucking habit in children.

Dr Ibikunle: OK, go ahead.

Me: Thank you sir. What is thumb/finger sucking in children?

Dr Ibikunle: Thumb sucking is the process of drawing the thumb or other fingers into one's mouth by inhaling. It is a natural reflex for babies.

Me: When does it begin?

Dr Ibikunle: It could begin in most babies immediately after birth. Although ultrasound scans have revealed foetus sucking on a thumb or finger in the womb.

Me: Is thumb sucking habit hereditary?

Dr Ibikunle: No, there is no thumb sucking gene reported so far so it is not hereditary.

Me: Does thumb sucking benefit the babies in anyway?

Dr Ibikunle: Yes, sucking on thumbs, fingers or pacifiers makes babies feel secure and happy. It also keep them calm even in the absence of their parents. Sucking thumb/finger also help babies soothe themselves and help them fall asleep.

Me: Should parents worry about the thumb sucking habit of their children?

Dr Ibikunle: Yes, but it is NOT necessary trying to break babies of sucking on their thumb. Many children actually stop without much parental involvement due to maturity and social pressure. However, parents should worry more as the child grow older with the habit.

Me: When should parents forcefully stop the thumb sucking habit of their children?

Dr Ibikunle: Parents should be keen for their child to stop thumb sucking as the permanent teeth start to form at age 5 and above.

Me: Does thumb/finger sucking has any harmful effect on the teeth?

Dr Ibikunle: Of course, Yes. Long-term thumb sucking have some harmful effects. However, the effects varies depending on (i) the intensity of sucking (ii) tongue thrusting while sucking and (iii) the length of sucking.

Me: What are those harmful effects?

Dr Ibikunle: The effects include;
(i) Misalignment of teeth this occur when the teeth are being pushed around. It can push the jaw out of position and fuse that way. Thus, it become a permanent problem
(ii) Slanted teeth this occur when the upper teeth slanted outward while the lower teeth slanted inward.
(iii) Biting problem these could be open bite, cross bite, over bite and under bite
(iv) Speech problem this occur as a result of the pressure mounted on the mouth roof by the thumb/fingers being sucked. This result to lisping and other speech impediments.
(iv) Mouth sores/Infection aggressive sucking irritates the mouth walls, causing sores and bacterial infections.

Me: How could parents correct the thumb sucking habit of their children?

Dr Ibikunle: Correcting it could take some time but it is advisable for parents to use gentle and positive encouragement to correct their children.
Materials such as thumb/finger guards, socks, bandages or covering with bitter medications are widely used for correcting thumb sucking habit.

After this conversation, I returned home and I invited Mummy Favour. I explained everything I learnt from the dentist to her coupled with some pictorial representation of some cases. She appreciated my efforts and agreed to purchase a thumb guard for her daughter.

Conclusively, thumb sucking habit is natural to babies so parents should worry less about it. Parents should adopt adequate preventive measures in correcting it as early as possible to avoid an harmful effect. If by chance, a child develop any side effect of thumb sucking, the parents were to be blamed because the child didn't anything at that moment.