Heba Ashraf Abd El Sabour, Mahmoud Hamdy Eid, Salah El Din El Behery And Randa Youssef Abd Al Gawad,

ABSTRACT
Background: The Effect Of Prolonged Digit Sucking Habit Is A Common Oral Health Problem And Could Affect The Quality Of Life. Therefore, It Is Important For The Dentist To Understand This Habit Well To Be Able To Help The Parents And The Child Relate To It And To Manage The Child�s Dental Situation. Objective: The Aim Of This Study Was To Determine The Prevalence Of Malocclusion Among A Group Of Egyptian Children With Digit Sucking Aged 3 To 6 Years. Patients And Methods: This Study Was Performed On 185 Egyptian Children Aged 3 To 6 Years. It Was Performed In The Department Of Pediatric Dentistry, Faculty Of Dentistry, Cairo University, Egypt.

Results: Malocclusion Was Present In 61.1% Of The Sample. Anterior Open Bite Was The Commonly Seen Condition (32.4%), Followed By Increased Over-jet (21.6%); Deep-bite (14.6%), Posterior Cross-bite Unilaterally (7%) Then Anterior Cross-bite And Bilateral Posterior Cross-bite Were Present In 4.9% Of The Sample. 23.2% Of The Sample Had More Than One Condition. Presence Of Blisters Was Seen In 44.9% Of The Sample. Conclusion: The Prevalence Of Malocclusion Is High In Children With Digit Sucking Habit. Digit Sucking Habit Is More Prevalent In Females, In Children Ranging From Three To Six Years Of Age. The Greatest Percentage Of Malocclusion Occurs In The 6 Years Old Children.