COM Oral Habits & Behavior Modification Flashcards

Which orofacial habit is most directly linked to the development of a unilateral posterior crossbite?

Answer: Prolonged pacifier use

Prolonged pacifier use depresses the tongue from the palate and narrows the upper arch, commonly producing a bilateral or unilateral posterior crossbite.

In orofacial myofunctional therapy, what does the term 'competing response' mean in the context of habit elimination?

Answer: A behavior that physically cannot occur simultaneously with the target habit

A competing response is a voluntary behavior that occupies the same musculature or position used by the habit, making the habit physically impossible.

Which finding would prompt an orofacial myologist to refer a patient to an ENT specialist before beginning habit therapy?

Answer: Chronic nasal congestion and suspected nasal obstruction

Nasal obstruction must be ruled out or treated by an ENT before myofunctional therapy, as structural blockages prevent nasal breathing regardless of habit training.

Nail biting (onychophagia) is relevant to orofacial myofunctional therapy primarily because it:

Answer: Maintains an oral habit and keeps the mouth open, disrupting nasal breathing patterns

Nail biting perpetuates an oral habit pattern, often keeping the lips apart and disrupting the nasal breathing posture that myofunctional therapy seeks to establish.

What is the primary goal of the 'reminder method' in oral habit elimination programs?

Answer: To increase the patient's conscious awareness of when the habit is performed

The reminder method increases conscious awareness of an otherwise unconscious habit, allowing the patient to interrupt it voluntarily.

Which professional should an orofacial myologist collaborate with when a child's oral habit has caused significant skeletal changes?

Answer: Orthodontist

Significant skeletal changes resulting from prolonged oral habits require orthodontic evaluation and often combined orthodontic and myofunctional intervention.