The number of infants with a specific type of head deformity, in which the skull flattens out from repeated pressure to the same area, has increased exponentially over the past 20 years.While the condition, known as deformational plagiocephaly, is now common, there is no standard treatment for it, and some argue none is needed, saying the condition will get better on its own. Most experts recommend placing helmets on the heads of babies with severe DP cases.
Scientists note that the surge in cases coincides with a campaign by pediatricians to prevent sudden infant death syndrome by making sure babies didn't sleep on their stomachs. The Back to Sleep campaign, launched in 1992, initially urged parents to lay babies down on their side or back; the recommendation was later changed to back only.
"[The back to sleep campaign] has been very effective in reducing SIDS death, but it had the unanticipated outcome of creating molding of the skull, which was not seen as frequently before the recommendations were made," said Dr. John Persing, a professor of plastic surgery at Yale School of Medicine.
The risk of deformity comes from lying for long periods with one spot of the head pressed against the mattress.
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