Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
. 2013 Jan;4(1):2-6.
doi: 10.4103/0976-237X.111585.

Comparison of soft-tissue, dental, and skeletal characteristics in children with and without tongue thrusting habit

Uma B Dixit  1 , Raghavendra M Shetty
Affiliations

Comparison of soft-tissue, dental, and skeletal characteristics in children with and without tongue thrusting habit

Uma B Dixit et al. Contemp Clin Dent. 2013 Jan.

Abstract

Background: Tongue thrusting habit is a condition in which the tongue makes contact with any teeth anterior to the molars during swallowing. Abnormal positioning of tongue may result in dental and skeletal abnormalities.

Objective: The aim of the present study was to study and compare soft-tissue, dental, and skeletal morphologic characteristics in children with and without tongue thrusting habit.

Materials and methods: A total of 21 children with tongue thrusting habit and 21 children without any habit between age 10 and 14 years were selected for the study. Various soft-issue, dental and cephalometric parameters were measured and compared statistically.

Results: Significantly, higher number of children with tongue thrusting showed lip incompetency (86% vs. 14%), mouth-breathing habit (38% vs. none), hyperactive mentalis muscle activity (24% vs. none), Open-bite (52% vs. none) and lisping (86% vs. none) when compared to children without tongue thrust. Children with tongue thrust showed increased upper lip thickness and proclination of maxillary incisors No differences were found in angulation of mandibular incisors, inter-premolar or inter-molar widths and all the skeletal parameters studied.

Conclusions: Tongue thrust seemed to affect some of the soft-tissue and dental characteristics causing lip incompetency, mouth-breathing habit, and hyperactive mentalis muscle activity, lisping, open-bite, and proclination of maxillary incisors; however, no significant skeletal changes were observed.

Keywords: Growth and development; occlusion/orthodontics; oral habits.

PubMed Disclaimer

Conflict of interest statement

Conflict of Interest: None declared

References

    1. Hanson ML, Barnard LW, Case JL. Tongue-thrust in preschool children. Am J Orthod. 1969;56:60–9. - PubMed
    1. Peng CL, Jost-Brinkmann PG, Yoshida N, Chou HH, Lin CT. Comparison of tongue functions between mature and tongue-thrust swallowing: An ultrasound investigation. Am J Orthod Dentofacial Orthop. 2004;125:562–70. - PubMed
    1. Gellin ME. Digital sucking and tongue thrusting in children. Dent Clin North Am. 1978;22:603–19. - PubMed
    1. Fletcher SG, Casteel RL, Bradley DP. Tongue-thrust swallow, speech articulation, and age. J Speech Hear Disord. 1961;26:201–8. - PubMed
    1. Lowe AA, Johnston WD. Tongue and jaw muscle activity in response to mandibular rotations in a sample of normal and anterior open-bite subjects. Am J Orthod. 1979;76:565–76. - PubMed