Abstract
A habit is a repetitive action that is being done automatically and is resistant
to change. In the infantile period, certain repetitive behaviours are common, the
majority of them begin and stop spontaneously. If oral habits persist beyond a
particular developmental age, it results in unfavourable outcomes for the developing
teeth, occlusion and surrounding orofacial tissues. Oral habits are considered one of the
main causes of malocclusion, leading to unfavourable growth and development of
dentoalveolar, which starts in the early childhood and mixed dentition stage. The
severity of malocclusion depends on the frequency, duration, and intensity of the habit.
Early detection and interception of the habit should be done by parent/child habit
awareness and counselling, elimination, etiology, behaviour modifications and
correction of malocclusion.