Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
. 2015 Jul-Aug;20(4):39-44.
doi: 10.1590/2176-9451.20.4.039-044.oar.

Guidelines proposal for clinical recognition of mouth breathing children

Maria Christina Thomé Pacheco  1 , Camila Ferreira Casagrande  2 , Lícia Pacheco Teixeira  3 , Nathalia Silveira Finck  3 , Maria Teresa Martins de Araújo  4
Affiliations

Guidelines proposal for clinical recognition of mouth breathing children

Maria Christina Thomé Pacheco et al. Dental Press J Orthod. 2015 Jul-Aug.

Abstract
in English, Portuguese

Introduction: Mouth breathing (MB) is an etiological factor for sleep-disordered breathing (SDB) during childhood. The habit of breathing through the mouth may be perpetuated even after airway clearance. Both habit and obstruction may cause facial muscle imbalance and craniofacial changes.

Objective: The aim of this paper is to propose and test guidelines for clinical recognition of MB and some predisposing factors for SDB in children.

Methods: Semi-structured interviews were conducted with 110 orthodontists regarding their procedures for clinical evaluation of MB and their knowledge about SDB during childhood. Thereafter, based on their answers, guidelines were developed and tested in 687 children aged between 6 and 12 years old and attending elementary schools.

Results: There was no standardization for clinical recognition of MB among orthodontists. The most common procedures performed were inefficient to recognize differences between MB by habit or obstruction.

Conclusions: The guidelines proposed herein facilitate clinical recognition of MB, help clinicians to differentiate between habit and obstruction, suggest the most appropriate treatment for each case, and avoid maintenance of mouth breathing patterns during adulthood.

INTRODUÇÃO:: a respiração bucal (RB) é um fator etiológico para os distúrbios respiratórios do sono (DRS) na infância. O hábito de respirar pela boca pode ser perpetuado mesmo depois da desobstrução das vias aéreas. Tanto o hábito quanto a obstrução podem causar desequilíbrios da musculatura facial e alterações craniofaciais. O objetivo deste trabalho é propor e testar uma diretriz para o reconhecimento clínico da RB e de alguns fatores predisponentes aos DRS em crianças.

MÉTODOS:: entrevistas semiestruturadas foram realizadas com 110 ortodontistas, com relação aos seus procedimentos para avaliação clínica da RB e aos seus conhecimentos sobre DRS na infância. A partir daí, com base nas respostas obtidas, uma diretriz foi desenvolvida e testada em 687 crianças, com 6 a 12 anos, oriundas de escolas de ensino fundamental.

RESULTADOS:: não existe padronização para o reconhecimento clínico da RB pelos ortodontistas. Os procedimentos mais comumente realizados foram ineficientes para reconhecer a diferença entre a RB por hábito e a por obstrução.

CONCLUSÕES:: a diretriz proposta facilita o reconhecimento clínico da RB, diferencia entre RB por hábito e por obstrução, sugere o tratamento mais adequado para cada caso, e evita a manutenção do padrão de respiração bucal na idade adulta.

PubMed Disclaimer

Figures

Figure 1.
Figure 1.. Marking the steam halo on the graded mirror test.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

References

    1. Junqueira P, Marchesan IQ, de Oliveira LR, Ciccone E, Haddad L, Rizzo MC. Speech-language pathology findings in patients with mouth breathing: multidisciplinar diagnosis according to etiology. Int J Orofacial Myology. 2010;36:27–32. - PubMed
    1. Cunha DA, Silva GAP, Motta MEFA, Lima CR, Silva HJ. Mouth breathing in children and its repercussions in the nutritional state. Rev CEFAC. 2007;9(1):47–54.
    1. Okuro RT, Morcillo AM, Sakano E, Schivinski CIS, Ribeiro MAG, Ribeiro JD. Exercise capacity, respiratory mechanics and posture in mouth breathers. Braz J Otorhinolaryngol. 2011;77(5):656–662. - PMC - PubMed
    1. Menezes VA, Cavalcanti LL, Albuquerque TC, Garcia AFG, Leal RB. Mouth breathing within a multidisciplinary approach: perception of orthodontists in the city of Recife, Brazil. Dental Press J Orthod. 2011;16(6):84–92.
    1. Zastrow MD, Grando LJ, Carvalho AP, Ratb IBS, Calvo MC. A comparative study of the breathing pattern and amount of nasopharynx obstruction by the pharyngeal tonsil in HIV infected and non-infected children. Braz J Otorhinolaryngol. 2007;73(5):583–591. - PMC - PubMed

MeSH terms