Association Between Chronic Mouth Breathing and Craniofacial Development in School-Aged Children: A Cross-Sectional Analysis
Keywords:
Mouth breathing; Craniofacial development; Malocclusion; Pediatric dentistry; Orthodontics; School children; Airway disorders.Abstract
Persistent mouth breathing during childhood has been proposed as a contributing factor to altered craniofacial growth and functional oral disorders. Early identification may reduce long-term orthodontic complications. This cross-sectional analysis assessed craniofacial characteristics among school-aged children with chronic mouth breathing compared with age-matched nasal breathers. Clinical examinations included assessment of facial profile, dental occlusion, palatal morphology, and lip competence. Children with chronic mouth breathing demonstrated a greater frequency of high-arched palate, increased anterior facial height, and dental malocclusion. Functional complaints, including snoring and daytime fatigue, were also reported more frequently. These findings support the importance of multidisciplinary evaluation involving pediatricians, otolaryngologists, and orthodontists for children with persistent mouth breathing. Early intervention may contribute to improved facial development and oral function.
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Copyright (c) 2019 urania Kalogeropoulou (Author)
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.
© The Author(s). This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International (CC BY 4.0) License. This license permits unrestricted use, distribution, reproduction, adaptation, and commercial use in any medium, provided that appropriate credit is given to the original author(s) and the source, a link to the license is provided, and any changes made are indicated.
