| Popis: |
Mouth breathing has been associated with many unfavorable sequelae, the most significant of which are features such as excessively long and tapered (dolicofacial) face form, increased lower face height, and narrow maxillary arch form. It was the purpose of this longitudinal study, in a sample of European-American and African-American male and female growing children, to determine upper respiratory parameters and dentofacial morphology as well as their interrelationships. One hundred forty-seven children (T1, mean age=8.95 years) were tested at yearly intervals for 4 years using a modified version of the Simultaneous Nasal and Oral Respirometric Technique and posterior rhinomanometry. Selected dentofacial morphological variables including total and lower anterior face heights, face width, palatal arch width, and anterior overbite were measured. At T4 complete 4-year data were available for 44 children. Statistical analysis was performed to test the strength of association among the measured dentofacial variables, nasal resistance, and the mode of breathing, nasal versus oral. Several children were found to switch between oral and nasal respiratory mode during the 4 years of the investigation. Respiratory mode also had no relationship to ethnicity, gender, or dentofacial morphology. |
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