Características dentofaciales de respiradores bucales en niños de 8 a 12 años.

Abstract

Introduction: Facial and dental traits influenced by oral breathing are known as Orofacial Characteristics of Mouth Breathers. This parafunctional habit leads to changes classified as oral, skeletal, facial, physiological, and psychological. Objective: To determine the orofacial characteristics of mouth breathers in children aged 8 to 12, treated at the dental clinic of the Catholic University of Santiago de Guayaquil during Semester B-2023. Materials and Methods: Observational, cross-sectional, quantitative, and descriptive study using a guide for clinical and cephalometric facial analysis in patients with respiratory dysfunction. Twenty patients of both sexes, aged 8 to 12, registered in the clinic with prior informed consent from guardians or parents, were included. Results: High prevalence of nasopharyngeal airway obstruction with narrow nostrils and hypertrophy of turbinates. Leptoprosopic facial type, convex profile, facial asymmetry, adenoid facies, and dark circles. Increased overjet and overbite, ovoid upper arch. Chronic fatigue and snoring. High prevalence of narrow chest, retruded and downward jaw, and forward-leaning head. Dolicofacial facial type, maxillary prognathism, mandibular retrognathism, and increased Frankfort-Mandibular plane. Conclusion: These findings underscore the importance of considering not only dental implications when addressing mouth breathing in the pediatric population. Discussion: Concordance was observed with other studies regarding alterations in muscle patterns, changes in facial morphology, maxillary and mandibular developmental abnormalities, postural changes, among others.