Early Weaning as aRisk Factor for Deleterious Oral Habits in 3-5 Year-Old Children

Objective: To verify the association between early weaning, sociodemographic variables and deleterious oral habits in 3-5 year-old Brazilian children. Material and Methods: Retrospective observational study with longitudinal design used a random sample of 150 children representing a population of 388 children enrolled in public schools of Domingos Martins, Brazil. Data collection was performed using a questionnaire aimed at parents / guardians. The dependent variable considered for analysis was the presence of habits - pacifier and finger sucking - and as explanatory variables: gender, age, early weaning and socioeconomic status. Early weaning was considered when exclusive breastfeeding was suspended before six months of age. Chi-square test was used to verify association among variables. Significance level adopted was 5%. To check the strength of association, Odds Ratio and 95% confidence intervals were used. Results: Significant association was found between variables age of 4 and 5 years (p = 0.030, OR = 2.193, CI = 1.029; 4.673) and early weaning (p = 0.001, OR = 5.045, CI = 2.087; 12.199) with pacifier sucking habit. Conclusion: Association between age, early weaning and pacifier sucking habits was observed. Early weaning can be considered a risk factor for pacifier sucking habit.