Oral sucking habits among children with Down syndrome and cerebral palsy

ABSTRACT Aims Identify factors associated with the presence of oral sucking habits among children with Down syndrome (DS) and cerebral palsy (CP). Methods The sample consisted of 181 children with DS or CP from two public healthcare institutions that treat children with special needs in the city of Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. The children's mothers answered a questionnaire about the individual and behavioral characteristics and the medical history of their children. The study was approved by the Research Ethics Committee of Universidade Federal de Minas Gerais. Results The presence of oral sucking habits (bottle feeding and pacifier/finger sucking) was observed in 83.0% of children. Children with artificial sucking habits had a 3.42 times greater chance of having a history of throat infection during the previous 6 months (5.61 to 48). A mother in the group of children with oral sucking habits had a 10.28 chance of not having breastfed her child (2.86 to 36.93). Conclusion The history of throat infections in the preceding 6 months and the lack of breastfeeding were associated with the presence of oral sucking habits in children with DS and CP.