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Facial soft tissues of mouth-breathing children: do expectations meet reality?

Bernardo Q Souki1, Petrus B Lopes2, Natalia C Veloso2

  • 1Catholic University of Minas Gerais, School of Dentistry, Orthodontics, Belo Horizonte, Brazil; Federal University of Minas Gerais, Outpatient Clinic for Mouth-Breathers, Belo Horizonte, Brazil.

International Journal of Pediatric Otorhinolaryngology
|May 13, 2014
PubMed

Insights

Severe mouth breathing (MB) in children alters facial soft tissues, including shorter, more protruded lips and a reduced chin. These findings highlight the impact of airway obstruction on facial development.

Area of Science:

  • Pediatric Dentistry
  • Orthodontics
  • Craniofacial Biology

Background:

  • Mouth breathing (MB) due to severe airway obstruction can impact craniofacial development.
  • Understanding soft tissue differences is crucial for diagnosis and treatment planning.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To quantitatively compare facial soft tissue morphology between children with severe MB and nasal breathing (NB).
  • To identify specific soft tissue changes associated with severe airway obstruction in children.

Main Methods:

  • Lateral cephalograms of 64 MB children and 64 NB children were analyzed.
  • Groups were matched for age, gender, skeletal maturation, and sagittal pattern.
  • Soft tissue measurements were compared using statistical analysis.

Main Results:

  • Facial convexity and anterior facial height ratio were similar between groups.
  • MB children exhibited protruded upper lips with thinner bases, and shorter, more protruded lower lips.
  • MB children showed smaller nasolabial angles, reduced nasal prominence, and thinner chins.

Conclusions:

  • Severely obstructed MB children display distinct facial soft tissue characteristics compared to NB children.
  • Lip morphology, nasolabial angle, nasal prominence, and chin thickness are significantly affected by severe airway obstruction.
Abstract

Keywords:
CephalometryFaceMouth breathing

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