{"status":"ok","message-type":"work","message-version":"1.0.0","message":{"indexed":{"date-parts":[[2026,7,7]],"date-time":"2026-07-07T06:20:34Z","timestamp":1783405234690,"version":"3.54.6"},"reference-count":35,"publisher":"Frontiers Media SA","license":[{"start":{"date-parts":[[2026,7,7]],"date-time":"2026-07-07T00:00:00Z","timestamp":1783382400000},"content-version":"vor","delay-in-days":0,"URL":"https:\/\/creativecommons.org\/licenses\/by\/4.0\/"}],"content-domain":{"domain":["frontiersin.org"],"crossmark-restriction":true},"short-container-title":["Front. Pediatr."],"abstract":"<jats:sec>\n                    <jats:title>Background<\/jats:title>\n                    <jats:p>Thumb sucking, the use of pacifier and mouth breathing in the early childhood may negatively influence the development of the maxillary arch. Myofunctional therapy has become a non-invasive intervention that can fulfil the dysfunction of the orofacial muscles, although the studies on its effectiveness in preventing arch underdevelopment are limited.<\/jats:p>\n                  <\/jats:sec>\n                  <jats:sec>\n                    <jats:title>Methods<\/jats:title>\n                    <jats:p>\n                      The sample size (\n                      <jats:italic>n<\/jats:italic>\n                      \u2009=\u200964) was divided into two groups: the intervention group (\n                      <jats:italic>n<\/jats:italic>\n                      \u2009=\u200932) where the children were subjected to 12 months of structured myofunctional training and habit cessation counselling, and the control group (\n                      <jats:italic>n<\/jats:italic>\n                      \u2009=\u200932) where the children were subjected to habit cessation counselling only. Baseline, 6 months, and 12 months were made of dental impression and digital measurements of maxillary intercanine width, intermolar width and arch perimeter and palatal depth. Validated questionnaires and clinical examination protocol were used to measure oral habit frequency and orofacial muscle functioning.\n                    <\/jats:p>\n                  <\/jats:sec>\n                  <jats:sec>\n                    <jats:title>Results<\/jats:title>\n                    <jats:p>\n                      After 12 months, the intervention group showed significantly greater increases in intercanine width (3.42\u2009\u00b1\u20091.18\u2005mm vs. 1.87\u2009\u00b1\u20090.95\u2005mm;\n                      <jats:italic>p<\/jats:italic>\n                      \u2009&amp;lt;\u20090.001) and intermolar width (2.76\u2009\u00b1\u20091.04\u2005mm vs. 1.45\u2009\u00b1\u20090.88\u2005mm;\n                      <jats:italic>p<\/jats:italic>\n                      \u2009&amp;lt;\u20090.001) compared with controls. Arch perimeter increased by 4.28\u2009\u00b1\u20091.56\u2005mm in the intervention group vs. 2.34\u2009\u00b1\u20091.21\u2005mm in controls (\n                      <jats:italic>p<\/jats:italic>\n                      \u2009&amp;lt;\u20090.001). Habit cessation was also higher in the intervention group (87.5% vs. 65.6%;\n                      <jats:italic>p<\/jats:italic>\n                      \u2009=\u20090.038). Orofacial muscle function scores improved significantly more in the intervention group (\n                      <jats:italic>p<\/jats:italic>\n                      \u2009&amp;lt;\u20090.001).\n                    <\/jats:p>\n                  <\/jats:sec>\n                  <jats:sec>\n                    <jats:title>Conclusion<\/jats:title>\n                    <jats:p>These findings provide preliminary evidence that early myofunctional training may have a beneficial effect on maxillary arch development in children with mild oral habits and may support preventive orthodontic strategies.<\/jats:p>\n                  <\/jats:sec>","DOI":"10.3389\/fped.2026.1809806","type":"journal-article","created":{"date-parts":[[2026,7,7]],"date-time":"2026-07-07T05:45:32Z","timestamp":1783403132000},"update-policy":"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.3389\/crossmark-policy","source":"Crossref","is-referenced-by-count":0,"title":["Influence of early myofunctional training on maxillary arch development in children aged 4\u20137 years with mild oral habits: a controlled pilot study"],"prefix":"10.3389","volume":"14","author":[{"given":"Qiwen","family":"Xiao","sequence":"first","affiliation":[{"name":"Orthodontics Department, Nanjing Medical University Affiliated Stomatological Hospital","place":["Nanjing City, Jiangsu Province, China"]},{"name":"State Key Laboratory Cultivation Base of Research, Prevention and Treatment for Oral Diseases","place":["Nanjing City, Jiangsu Province, China"]},{"name":"Jiangsu Province Engineering Research Center of Stomatological Translational Medicine","place":["Nanjing City, Jiangsu Province, China"]}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Junqing","family":"Ma","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Orthodontics Department, Nanjing Medical University Affiliated Stomatological Hospital","place":["Nanjing City, Jiangsu Province, China"]},{"name":"State Key Laboratory Cultivation Base of Research, Prevention and Treatment for Oral Diseases","place":["Nanjing City, Jiangsu Province, China"]},{"name":"Jiangsu Province Engineering Research Center of Stomatological Translational Medicine","place":["Nanjing City, Jiangsu Province, China"]}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]}],"member":"1965","published-online":{"date-parts":[[2026,7,7]]},"reference":[{"key":"B1","volume-title":"Essentials of Facial Growth","author":"Enlow","year":"2008"},{"key":"B2","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"352","DOI":"10.1093\/ejo\/cjp041","article-title":"Early crossbite correction: a three-dimensional evaluation","volume":"31","author":"Primo\u017ei\u010d","year":"2009","journal-title":"Eur J Orthod"},{"key":"B3","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"1685","DOI":"10.14219\/jada.archive.2001.0121","article-title":"Effects of oral habits\u2019 duration on dental characteristics in the primary dentition","volume":"132","author":"Warren","year":"2001","journal-title":"J Am Dent Assoc"},{"key":"B4","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"42","DOI":"10.1016\/0002-9416(75)90158-X","article-title":"Palatal growth studied on human autopsy material. 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