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MalocclusionNCT03513003

The Use of a Pacifier to Correct Malocclusions in Young Children

A study testing Functional Pacifier and Stop habit in people with Malocclusion, run by University Hospital, Basel, Switzerland at 1 site in Switzerland.

Recruiting

Looking for participants now. Contact the study team or a site below to ask about taking part.

Sites and contacts
Official record
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Trial summary

The aim of the study is to investigate the effect of a pacifier (102 Medical Pacifier, Curaprox, Switzerland) on malocclusions like posterior crossbite, anterior open bite, larger overjet and tongue dysfunction in young children. Read more about this study

Who is it for?
Ages 2 to 5 years
Conditions the study is for
Malocclusion
What is being tested?
Functional Pacifier and Stop habit
Could I receive a placebo?
No, everyone receives an active treatment
How many people
200 participants
Where
1 siteSwitzerland
Study dates
24 Jun 2020to Dec 2027
Phase
Interventional
Are there results?
Not yet: the study is under way

Key requirements

Who can take part, as listed by the sponsor. Only the study team can confirm whether you are eligible, so take this list to your doctor.

  • Ages 2 to 5 years
  • All sexes
  • No healthy volunteers
  • Child

Who may be able to join

  • Children who are sucking the pacifier and / or baby bottle for the last 6 months in use.
  • Manifesting posterior crossbite in which minium 1 tooth and/or edge to edge in the region deciduous canines and/or deciduous molars, with or without forced bite.
  • AND / OR
  • Manifesting anterior open bite in which the overbite has negative values or edge to edge (≤ 0), with or without tongue thrust.

Who cannot join

  • Children who are thumb- or fingersucking (or sucking other objects)
  • syndromic or cleft patients
  • patients with history of cranio-facial trauma, history of temporomandibular joint infection or musculo-skeletal asymmetry (e.g. scoliosis, torticollis)
  • patients with systematic diseases
  • patients currently under or after orthodontic Treatment
  • patients with ankylosed teeth (e.g. after dental trauma).

Trial locations and contacts

1 site in 1 country. Contact the study team or a site near you to ask about taking part.

Carlalberta Verna, DDS, PhD contact

0041 061 2672641

carlalberta.verna@unibas.ch

Switzerland1 site, 1 recruiting
  • UZB, University Center for Dental Medicine

    Basel, 4058

    Carlalberta Verna, DDS, PhD, Professor and Chair, +41 61 267 26 40, carlalberta.verna@unibas.ch

    Recruiting

Other trials in Switzerland

About this study

The aim of the study is to investigate the effect of a pacifier (102 Medical Pacifier, Curaprox, Switzerland) on malocclusions like posterior crossbite, anterior open bite, larger overjet and tongue dysfunction in young children.

Conditions
Malocclusion
Being tested
Functional Pacifier, Stop habit
Medical subject headings
Malocclusion

What participants receive

What participants receive. In a randomised study each person is assigned to one group by chance.

  • Functional PacifierDevice

    Children swap from their habitual pacifier to the functional pacifier and stop baby bottle

  • Stop habitBehavioural

    Children stop the use of their pacifier and/or baby bottle

Study groups in NCT03513003
Study groupRoleWhat they receive
Functional pacifierExperimentalSwap from the habitual pacifier to a functional pacifier
Receives: Device: Functional Pacifier
Stop habitActive comparatorStop the use of the habitual pacifier and or baby bottle
Receives: Behavioral: Stop habit

What is being measured

The primary outcome is the main question the study is designed to answer.

  1. Posterior cross bite

    presence of posterior crossbite in which minium 1 tooth and/or edge to edge in the region deciduous canines and/or deciduous molars, with or without forced bite.

    Measured: 1 year

  2. Anterior open bite

    presence of anterior open bite in which the overbite has negative values or edge to edge (≤ 0), with or without tongue thrust.

    Measured: 1 year

Secondary outcomes (3)
  1. Facial movement

    Lip contraction during swallowing of a sip of water

    Measured: 1 year

  2. Lip competence

    Contact between the upper and the lower lips at rest

    Measured: 1 year

  3. Facial morphology

    3D measurements of facial proportions

    Measured: 1 year

Timeline

From the start of the study to its completion; the mark is today. Estimated dates are the sponsor’s plan.

  1. First posted1 May 2018
  2. Study start24 Jun 2020
  3. Primary completionDec 2027 (estimated)
  4. Study completionDec 2027 (estimated)

Resources

More details

For doctors and researchers: how the study is designed, who runs it, and its registry IDs.

Study design
Study type
Interventional
Phase
Phase N/A
Primary purpose
Treatment
Allocation
Randomised
Intervention model
Parallel groups
Masking
Single blind
Who is masked
Outcomes assessor
Enrolment
200 participants (estimated)
IDs, dates and publications
ClinicalTrials.gov ID
NCT03513003
Sponsor's protocol ID
UZB-Pacifier
Status last verified
Apr 2025
First submitted
27 Apr 2018
Last updated
13 Apr 2025
Results posted
No
Data monitoring committee
No
FDA-regulated drug
No
FDA-regulated device
No
Individual data sharing
No

Publications

  • Dimberg L, Bondemark L, Soderfeldt B, Lennartsson B. Prevalence of malocclusion traits and sucking habits among 3-year-old children. Swed Dent J. 2010;34(1):35-42.

    PubMed 20496855
  • Warren JJ, Slayton RL, Bishara SE, Levy SM, Yonezu T, Kanellis MJ. Effects of nonnutritive sucking habits on occlusal characteristics in the mixed dentition. Pediatr Dent. 2005 Nov-Dec;27(6):445-50.

    PubMed 16532883
  • Sousa RV, Pinto-Monteiro AK, Martins CC, Granville-Garcia AF, Paiva SM. Malocclusion and socioeconomic indicators in primary dentition. Braz Oral Res. 2014;28:54-60. doi: 10.1590/s1806-83242013005000032.

    PubMed 25000602
  • Filippi C, Filippi A, Verna C. [Orthodontic therapy in the early childhood using pacifier?]. Swiss Dent J. 2015;125(9):959-70. doi: 10.61872/sdj-2015-09-03. French, German.

    PubMed 26399737
  • Schmid KM, Kugler R, Nalabothu P, Bosch C, Verna C. The effect of pacifier sucking on orofacial structures: a systematic literature review. Prog Orthod. 2018 Mar 13;19(1):8. doi: 10.1186/s40510-018-0206-4.

    PubMed 29532184

Questions about this trial

What is this clinical trial studying?

A study testing Functional Pacifier and Stop habit in people with Malocclusion, run by University Hospital, Basel, Switzerland at 1 site in Switzerland.

The full registered description is in the About this study section and the official record.

Who may be eligible to take part?

The sponsor lists 4 inclusion and 6 exclusion criteria. Eligibility is decided by the study team after screening, so read the full criteria and contact a listed site.

Is this clinical trial currently recruiting?

The record says: looking for participants now, as of the sponsor's last update on 13 Apr 2025. Status can change between updates, so confirm with the study contact before making plans.

Where is the study taking place?

The record lists 1 site in Switzerland. Whether a site is taking part right now should be confirmed with that site. See every site.

What are the possible benefits and risks?

They depend on the study and the treatment, and no study can promise a benefit. The study team explains the known risks during informed consent, before anyone joins; the record itself does not list them.

Are results available for this study?

This study is still under way. Results are not available in the source record yet.

How can a doctor refer a patient or contact the research team?

Contact Carlalberta Verna, DDS, PhD (0041 061 2672641, carlalberta.verna@unibas.ch), or a site near the patient. AzTrials does not enrol participants or take referrals.

What does the primary outcome measure?

Posterior cross bite (time frame: 1 year). The study lists 2 primary outcomes in all. It is what the study was designed to measure, not a finding.

Where can I read the original study information?

On the ClinicalTrials.gov record for NCT03513003, which also lists 5 linked publications.

Does a listing mean the treatment is approved or proven to work?

No. A listing means the study is registered. It does not show that the treatment is safe, works, or is approved by a regulator.

How often is this information updated?

AzTrials copies changed records from ClinicalTrials.gov every night and reloads the whole registry every week. The sponsor last updated this record on 13 Apr 2025.

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