Mordida cruzada posterior em crianças: como prevenir futuras maloclusões

Abstract

The oral health as integral and inseparable part of the general health of the individual must provide conditions for the child to grow and develop the best possible way. The aim of this study was to investigate the topic "Posterior Cross Bite in Children - How to prevent future malocclusion" and get enough knowledge to educate parents about the importance of breastfeeding and prevention of malocclusion in the deciduous dentition, emphasizing the importance of diagnosis and intervention early to avoid serious malocclusions in permanent dentition. Exclusive breastfeeding up to six months and partial to one year of age is essential for growth and development of children and has an important role in preventing orthodontic problems. The insufficient duration of breastfeeding is associated with the presence of sucking habits and influence the development of posterior cross bite. A literature review was conducted to search for articles about this topic in Portuguese and English language in the virtual data bases of SciELO, BBO, BIREME, and Lilacs, where we used the keywords "crossbite", "oral health" , "Pediatric Dentistry", "malocclusion," "oral health of children" and had published between 1998 and 2010. The both pacifier sucking and thumb sucking habits beyond the five-six years revealed eight times more likely to develop posterior crossbite (MCP) in relation to children who have never owned these habits. The MCP hardly corrects spontaneously with age and early diagnosis in patients with MCP is extremely important, considering that the oclusal changes, muscle, bone and joint may even arise during the establishment of the occlusion of deciduous teeth. It was concluded therefore that there is a need to implement programs of prevention and control of malocclusion in children in the public health, because although relatively simple, the focus in this phase is extremely important for the normal development of the dentition and establishment of an adequate occlusion. The early detection of these changes enables better rehabilitation, restoring the physiological harmony to the individual.