Breastfeeding, Oral Habits and Malocclusions in the Childhood: A Literature Review

Abstract

To review in the literature the relationship between lactation, deleterious bucal habits and malocclusion. For this literature review, scientific articles were searched in databases such PubMed and SciELO, in English and Portuguese languages. The search initially resulted in a total of 63 published studies, where 33 were selected, published in the period between 1991 and 2020. In this literature it has been observed that studies on breastfeeding and deleterious bucal habits have a lot of controversy, however, there are several studies that show an inverse association between the time of natural breastfeeding and the deleterious habits, thus suggesting that the feeding method in infants can influence the growth and correct development of the stomatognathic system. It is concluded that deleterious bucal habits are associated with malocclusions, especially anterior open bite and crossbites. Early diagnosis and intervention may prevent future disorders and orthodontic problems for patients.