Relationship between vertical dentofacial morphology and respiration in adolescents

The relationship between vertical dentofacial morphology and respiration has been debated and investigated from various approaches. The purpose of this study was to use contemporary respirometric techniques to compare the breathing behavior of normal and long-faced adolescents. Sixteen normal and 32 long-faced subjects 11 to 17 years of age were chosen clinically and verified by means of a discriminant function. Vertical and anteroposterior facial form was assessed from lateral cephalometric radiographs according to the following measurement criteria: six skeletal angular, eight skeletal linear, four dental linear, and three skeletal ratios. Breathing behavior was quantified according to tidal volume, minimum cross-sectional nasal area, and percent of nasal breathing as assessed by pneumotachography, measurement of differential pressures, and inductive plethysmography. The data indicated that the normal and long-faced groups were significantly different with respect to lower face form, and each group in the study was comparable to groups that had been chosen by previous investigators. Multiple regression analysis demonstrated that the normal and long-faced groups had similar tidal volumes and minimum nasal cross-sectional areas, but the long-faced subjects had significantly smaller components of nasal respiration. These results illustrate that groups without significant differences in airway impairment can have significantly different breathing modes that may be behaviorally based, rather than airway-dependent.