Digital sucking and tongue thrusting in children.

A conservative approach to the management of the child and parent and to the treatment by the dentist for both digital sucking and tongue thrusting is advocated. Because the prevalence of both activities continues to decrease with age, various age ranges are selected as guidelines for the dentist in selecting an approach for the management and treatment of either activity. Successful closure of an anterior open bite after the cessation of digital sucking and tongue thrusting is directly related to the ability of the dentist to assess the growth pattern and especially to determine whether there is a skeletal component contributing to an increase in the certical dimension.