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Thumb sucking is a common baby habit. Babies usually start sucking their thumbs three months after birth and this continues for some time. It can be said about its natural aspect and original basis that in the early days of its life the baby is irrigated by milk and sucks the milk.
Gradually, he finds comfort in sucking. Many parents consider thumb-sucking a bad habit and express their dislike for it and think of several ways to do so.
It is important to note here that although some dentists consider this habit harmful and say that thumb sucking worsens the natural condition of the teeth and mouth, in comparison to many dentists and Psychologists have explained that thumb sucking does not cause any problems.
In fact, a recent study in New Zealand found that children who sucked their thumbs or cut their nails with their teeth had a lower risk of developing allergies. Researchers believe that this is because in the process of thumb sucking or nail biting, children are more exposed to germs and their immune system is enhanced.
The study, published in the American Journal of Pediatrics, involved scientists from the University of Otago. Researchers monitored more than a thousand children for some time until they reached puberty.
They recorded the habit of thumb-sucking or biting the nails of five-, seven-, nine- and eleven-year-olds, and then tested for allergies at the age of thirteen and thirty-two.
They found that 49 percent of 13-year-olds who did not have a habit of thumb-sucking or cutting their nails with memory had a positive result for at least one allergy. In contrast, the rate was 38% in children with a single habit, and in those with both, the rate was further reduced to 31%.
Doctors still encourage hand washing. According to scientist Bob Hancocks, who led the team of researchers, this shows that children who are exposed to germs in childhood have a lower risk of developing allergies.
At the same time, researchers have acknowledged that there is no evidence that thumb-sucking or biting nails with teeth can help prevent allergic disease.
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