The American Health Institute states that nail biting is a sign of obsessive compulsive disorder (OCD), which is related to the anxiety that a person faces which causes repetitive habits to reduce the anxiety they experience. In fact, you need to worry about your child’s nail biting habit, especially if the finger skin peels off and bleeds, one of which is that your child is worried that your child will experience excessive anxiety so that you need a pediatrician or psychologist to handle it. In some more severe cases, children bite not only their nails to avoid anxiety but pencils, pens and so on.
One study conducted in Russia said that nail biting can interfere with children’s intelligence. Children will be at great risk of poisoning, one of which is lead poisoning which often builds up on nails when children play indoors or outside the house. Exposure to lead will enter the body so that it affects the development of children. One thing to worry about if this habit continues is damage to the nervous system. In addition, the habit of biting nails which causes the cuticle to peel off will cause wound and nail infections, which makes nails unhealthy.
It is important if the role of parents in helping children overcome the habit of biting their nails, so as to minimize lead exposure in the body. You should know that the level of lead in the body will depend on the environment. If your house is on a dusty roadside, it will increase the risk of lead settling in the nails, not only that substances that are in some toys such as paint, you must pay attention to in order to minimize the risk of lead exposure to your child’s body. The most important thing is to make it a habit to wash your hands after playing.
Besides being able to affect intelligence because of the presence of several substances attached to the nails, the habit of biting nails will contribute to infection of the skin, worsening the condition of the nails, then increasing the risk of colds and also other infections caused by germs from the nails that enter the mouth. Thus, as parents, it is better to practice good habits and reduce bad habits from an early age. This is related to the influence of habits that are applied since childhood on the health condition of children in the future. Also identify what causes your child to have a bad habit of biting nails, one of which is feared that it will become a habit in expressing the child’s mental anxiety, then the most important thing is to maintain cleanliness and nail health. Make it a habit to routinely cut your child’s nails and wash their hands after doing activities before taking food to prevent germs and harmful substances from entering the body.
