Thumb-Sucking Debate

In Reply.— In the course of Dr MacKenzie's considerable clinical experience, she has established some strong opinions about thumb sucking and a method for its treatment. We have been treating thumb sucking for more than 10 years1 and have only recently subjected our method to an empirical analysis. Prior to conducting our analysis, we did an extensive library search for empirical studies on the etiology and treatment of thumb sucking. We did not find any data-based references for the inevitability of a "power struggle" between thumb-sucking children and their parents, for the primary prevention of thumb sucking, or for the efficacy of long-term supportive visits to the pediatrician for thumb sucking.