Attitudes of Saudi Arabian mothers towards the digit-sucking habit in children

Abstract

Objective: The purpose of this study was to report on the attitudes of Saudi mothers towards the digit-sucking habit in their children and their attempts to stop this fixation.

Design: The research took the form of a cross-sectional study.

Methods: Data was collected from a sample of 50 Saudi mothers whose children currently had a digit-sucking habit. One investigator used a specially designed questionnaire to interview all the mothers.

Results: The results showed that 48% of mothers did not like to see the habit at any age, and no mother accepted the habit after the age of 4 years. Most mothers (86%) tried to stop their children digit-sucking. Sixty-six per cent of the present sample had noticed the adverse effect of this fixation on their child's occlusion, and this was given as the main reason for their attempts to stop the habit. The most common method used by Saudi mothers to stop their children sucking their digits was the application of a bitter tasting lotion to the fingers (66%). Although 48% of mothers had sought advice about digit-sucking from dentists and paediatricians (30% and 18%, respectively), 60% of the dentists and all of paediatricians had made no suggestions about any solutions.

Conclusion: No mother accepted the habit in their children after the age of 4 years. The majority of mothers had noticed the adverse effect of the digit-sucking fixation. Non-invasive procedures were most commonly used by Saudi mothers attempting to stop this habit in their children.