Babies who suck their thumbs or use pacifiers are more likely to grow up with crooked teeth. But breastfed babies may be more likely to develop a nicer smile. Domenico Viggiano, MD, and colleagues studied about 1,000 preschool children aged 3-5 in the southern Italian town of Cava de' Tirreni. The kids had all participated in an oral health study organized by the local school. Data included how the children were fed during their first three months of life and whether any chil

In 1977, researchers studied fifty children between ages one and seven who were habitual thumb suckers, and compared these with children who didn't suck their thumb. The studies showed that thumb suckers tended to be bottle-fed rather than breast-fed. Learn more >