Digital suction and family functionality in children in Health Area II. Cienfuegos.

Abstract

Bakground: Digital suction is a pernicious habit that can produce not only alterations of dental-facial's structures, but also of child's social relationships and its self-esteem. Objective: To evaluate the existent relationship between finger suction habit in children and family functionality. Method: An analytic study of cases and controls was carried out, in girls and boys of 5th and 6th levels in 8 day-care centres belonging to Area II of Cienfuegos municipality during the course 2005-2006. The studied variables were: finger suction habit, age, level, sex, and family functionality. Family functionality was perceived through the test FF-SIL. Chi square test was used to determine the relationship among the studied variables. Results: The finger suction habit prevailed in girls; functional families prevailed in the study. Most of the children with this habit come from dysfunctional families. Conclusion: Dysfunctional and severely dysfunctional families are proportionally major in the group of girls and boys with this habit, being shown the dependence between the variables finger suction and family function.

Keywords

• succión del dedo
• atención dental para niños
• estudios de casos y controles