Prevalence of oral habits and its association with malocclusion in school children in Yemen

Objective. This study aims to analyze the prevalence of oral habits in relation to gender, age, and school type and its correlation with malocclusion classes among children in Sann city, Yemen. Method. A cross-sectional study design was employed to examine a sample of 1079 school children, aged 7 to 12 years old, attending private and public schools in Sana'a City, Yemen. Schools were selected using systematic random sampling. Clinical examination was conducted, and participants’ age, gender, and type of schools were documented. Oral habits were categorized as tongue thrusting, mouth breathing, and lip biting. Types of existing occlusion and transverse dental malocclusion were recorded, and their association with different oral habits were analyzed. Results. The overall prevalence of oral habits among the participants was 23.5%. About 22.9% of the children exhibited tongue thrusting which represent 97.6% of all oral habits, while only 0.3% had mouth breathing and lip biting. The prevalence of habits was not significantly different between males and females as well as between children attending private and government schools. The study also identified a strong association between malocclusion and presence of oral habits. Class I malocclusion was found to be the most common type among children with oral habits. Conclusions. This study reports the low prevalence of oral habits, which tongue thrusting was found to be the most common, among school children in Sana'a City, Yemen. It also establishes a positive association between oral habits and malocclusion. Clinical significance. Given the lack of research on the prevalence of oral habits and their effect on malocclusion in Yemen, the findings will help us identify and address these habits early, preventing them from evolving into severe malocclusion problems that are difficult to correct later.