The doctor said that long-term nail biting will not only damage the nails, but also cause teeth, oral infections, and skin problems. Patients can improve their self-awareness, switch to alternative behaviors, or seek psychological treatment; the picture shows the situation.

(The picture is taken from photoAC)

[Health Channel/Comprehensive Report] Many people have the bad habit of biting their nails. In addition to causing unsightly appearance, it may also cause "disease from the mouth".

Huang Xuan, a thoracic and intensive care specialist, said that nail biting usually begins in childhood, and most people will stop over time, but a few people will continue.

Long-term nail biting will not only damage the nails, but also cause dental, oral infection, and skin problems. Patients can improve by enhancing self-awareness, switching to alternative behaviors, or seeking psychological treatment.

Huang Xuan posted on the Facebook fan page "Dr. Ooi Hean Huang Xuan" that it is a common oral habit. The prevalence of nail biting in different groups of people ranges from 3-46.9%. According to research, medical students are more likely to bite their nails. The highest proportion.

According to Williams et al. (Williams et al. 2020), nail biting may be associated with emotions such as psychological stress, anxiety, boredom, and loneliness, and 36.8-63% of the cases have a family history.

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Long-term nail biting is harmful to health

Huang Xuan said that experienced professional doctors will check whether the patient has bitten his nails for a long time, so as to track where the internal crisis is.

According to Pacan et al. (2014), chronic nail biting may lead to the following health problems:

●Damaged nails: Nails are deformed, broken and brittle.

●Dental Problems: Tooth wear, misalignment and sensitivity.

●Oral infection: Germs enter the body through the mouth and may cause infection.

●Skin problems: Inflammation, infection or ulceration of fingertip skin.

Nail biting is curable and should seek treatment early

Huang Xuan pointed out that only 25% of nail biters will seek professional medical treatment, but many papers have pointed out that treatment can significantly improve the symptoms of nail biting.

In November 2022, Sumayah Aljhani published an article in the Journal of Medical Case Reports (J Med Case Rep), pointing out that behavioral therapy is the first-line treatment for nail biting, including cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) and Lifestyle Therapy (HRT):

●Enhance self-awareness: When you realize that you are biting your nails, take the initiative to stop the behavior.

●Replacement Behavior (HRT): Replace the nail-biting habit with other harmless behaviors, such as fiddling with small objects or using rubber wristbands instead.

●Psychotherapy (CBT): such as cognitive behavioral therapy can help change bad behavior, and improve the ability to cope with stress.

Huang Xuan said frankly that 26.4% of parents would not see a doctor for a child with a nail biting habit, and even 70.2% of parents believe that punishing their children is an effective way to break bad habits.

But in fact, the effect is poor, and it also makes children more anxious and stressed.

He explained that according to research, 60.6% of doctors will not actively ask whether they have nail biting habits when seeing a doctor, and 67.6% of doctors will not actively check patients' nails.

The source of the disease of some critically ill patients may come from long-term bad habits, such as nail biting, and the bad habit of nail biting should be helped to improve and treat early.

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  • anxiety

  • nail biting

  • oral health

  • nail correction

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