Postural alterations in children with mouth breathing assessed by computerized biophotogrammetry

Luciane Capelasso De Oliveira Lima,Ada Clarisse Gastaldi,Maria José Junho Sologurem,Mario Antônio Baraúna,Roberto Sérgio De Tavares Canto

doi:10.1590/s1678-77572004000300014

Abstract

To determine and compare the posture of children with obstructive (OMB) and functional mouth breathing (FMB) and children with nasal breathing (NB) using computerized biophotogrammetry, as well as to determine the viability and efficacy of this method. Evaluative and personalized methods were used for the capture and analysis of angle images obtained from 19 NB, 26 FMB and 17 OMB children of either gender aged 8 to 10 years on anterior, posterior and profile views. The nonparametric Kruskal-Wallis test was applied to analyze the three groups as a whole and the Mann-Whitney test was used for pairwise comparison of the groups (p = 0.05). The angle related to the lateral knee condyle, lateral ankle malleolus and 5th metatarsal diaphysis (KAM) was significantly greater in NB than in FMB children. With respect to the angle related to the nasal external acoustic meatus and pogonion (GMM), nasal external acoustic meatus and manubrium (GME), and 2nd cervical vertebra, major cervical curvature point and 7th cervical vertebra (C2C7), significantly higher values were observed for the OMB group compared to NB children. The angle formed by the 2nd thoracic vertebra, the major prominent thoracic point and the 9th thoracic vertebra (T2T9) was significantly greater in FMB than in OMB children. Computerized biophotogrammetry was found to e a safe and reliable technique, allowing comparison between the children analyzed, as well as the detection of postural alterations in mouth breathing children.

Highlights

Due to nasal obstruction and deleterious habits acquired early in life, as well as the failure to learn breathing throughby the natural route, i.e., the nose, individuals with mouth breathing live for a long time with a forward head posture to facilitate the entry of air through the mouth (Bianchini[7])
This finding disagrees with those reported by Sá Filho[24], who stated that individuals with mouth breathing present a barrel or inspiratory chest, in which the collarbones are horizontalized, a condition commonly observed in asthmatic patients (Marcondes, Sustovich, Ramos22)
The existence of thoracic alterations in individuals with mouth breathing resulting from the horizontalization of the collarbone, as observed in the present experimental study, cannot be confirmed since they are more dependent of the severity of this syndrome and complications during asthmatic episodes (Carvalho[9], Kimmelman[17], Marney Jr23, Stokes and Della Mattia26) caused by the disease

Summary

INTRODUCTION

Due to nasal obstruction and deleterious habits acquired early in life, as well as the failure to learn breathing throughby the natural route, i.e., the nose, individuals with mouth breathing live for a long time with a forward head posture to facilitate the entry of air through the mouth (Bianchini[7]). Aggravation of this inadequate position can lead to the development of permanent changes, including postural alterations, as one of the complications of this syndrome (Krakauer[19]). The objective of the present study was to determine and compare the posture of children with obstructive (OMB) and functional mouth breathing (FMB) in relation to nasal breathing (NB) children using computerized biophotogrammetry in order to verify the viability and efficacy of this method in the detection of postural alterations in individuals with mouth breathing

METHODS

DISCUSSION

CONCLUSION