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Influence of the breathing pattern on the learning process: a systematic review of literature
Genef Caroline Andrade Ribeiro1, Isadora Diniz Dos Santos1, Ana Claudia Nascimento Santos1
1Department of Speech Therapy and Audiology, Universidade Federal de Sergipe (UFS), Campus Prof. Antônio Garcia Filho, Lagarto, SE, Brazil.
Insights
Children who breathe through their mouths are more likely to experience learning difficulties. This systematic review highlights the impact of mouth breathing on academic performance in school-aged children.
Area of Science:
- Pediatric Health
- Educational Psychology
- Respiratory Medicine
Background:
- Mouth breathing negatively impacts children's quality of life.
- Understanding the link between breathing patterns and learning is crucial for early intervention.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate if mouth breathing affects the learning process in children.
- To determine the association between mouth breathing and learning disabilities.
Main Methods:
- Systematic review following PRISMA guidelines.
- Searched multiple databases (SciELO, PubMed, LILACS, Scopus) and gray literature.
- Included observational studies of schoolchildren aged 7-11, comparing mouth breathers to nasal breathers.
Main Results:
- Ten articles were included after reviewing 357 records.
- 80% of the studies indicated a higher incidence of learning disabilities in mouth breathers.
- Methodological quality varied, with few studies using control groups or validated assessments.
Conclusions:
- Mouth breathers exhibit a higher likelihood of facing learning difficulties compared to nasal breathers.
- The findings underscore the importance of addressing mouth breathing in pediatric populations to support academic success.
Introduction:
Mouth breathing leads to negative consequences on quality of life, especially in school-age children.
Objective:
To determine whether the breathing pattern influences children's learning process.
Methods:
This systematic review was carried out according to the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA) instructions, with no restrictions regarding the year of publication and language, created based on the clinical question formulation according to the Problem/Patient/Population, Intervention/Indicator, Comparison, Outcome (PICO) strategy: "Is the mouth-breathing child more likely to have learning disabilities when compared to nasal breathers?" in the SciELO, PubMed, LILACS, and Scopus electronic databases. Google Scholar was used to search the gray literature. The keywords "learning," "mouth breathing," and their equivalent terms in Portuguese were used in an integrated manner. The studies included in the review were observational, conducted with schoolchildren aged 7-11 years. Afterwards, the studies were evaluated regarding their methodological quality. The research was performed by two eligible reviewers.
Results:
A total of 357 records were obtained, of which 43 records were duplicate. After applying the eligibility criteria, ten articles were included in the research scope. Half of the studies used a control group and otorhinolaryngological assessment, whereas a minority used validated (20%) and sample calculation protocols (10%). The evaluation procedures were varied. Overall, 80% of the articles showed a higher incidence of learning disabilities among mouth breathers.
Conclusion:
This systematic review has shown that mouth breathers are more likely to have learning difficulties than nasal breathers.
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