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

• Main Authors: Ana María Nápoles Quintero, Omaida Borroto Abal, Nora Sexto Delgado, Anay Valladares González, Raúl López Fernández, Lourdes Martínez Casanova
• Format: Article
• Language: Spanish
• Published: Centro Provincial de Información de Ciencias Médicas. Cienfuegos 2007-12-01
• Series: Medisur
• Subjects: succión del dedo; atención dental para niños; estudios de casos y controles
• Online Access: http://www.medisur.sld.cu/index.php/medisur/article/view/290

<p><strong>Bakground:</strong> 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. <strong>Objective:</strong> To evaluate the existent relationship between finger suction habit in children and family functionality. <strong>Method:</strong> 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. <strong>Results:</strong> The finger suction habit prevailed in girls; functional families prevailed in the study. Most of the children with this habit come from dysfunctional families. <strong>Conclusion:</strong> 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.</p>