TY - JOUR T1 - Thumb-sucking or nail-biting in childhood led to a reduction in atopic sensitisation but not asthma or hay fever JF - Archives of disease in childhood - Education & practice edition JO - Arch Dis Child Educ Pract Ed SP - 167 LP - 167 DO - 10.1136/archdischild-2016-311819 VL - 102 IS - 3 A2 - , Y1 - 2017/06/01 UR - http://ep.bmj.com/content/102/3/167.abstract N2 - Design: Prospective longitudinal population-based birth cohort study.Do children who have oral habits (thumb-sucking or nail-biting) have a lower risk of developing atopic sensitisation, asthma and hay fever?Setting: Dunedin, New Zealand, participants born in 1972–1973.Cohorts: A birth cohort of 1037 participants was asked multiple questions at multiple time points. For this study, ‘oral habits’ (frequently sucked their finger/thumb or bit their nails) were assessed at 5, 7, 9 and 11 years.Outcomes: 11 or 12 panel skin prick testing at age 13 and 32 years. Atopic sensitisation was defined as having ≥1 positive response to an allergen. Asthma was diagnosed … Correspondence to Dr Fozia Roked, Birmingham Children's Hospital, Steelhouse Lane, Birmingham B4 6NH, UK; fozia.roked{at}doctors.org.uk ER -