Abstract
AbstractIn recent decades, many studies on mouth breathing (MB) have been published; however, little is known about many aspects of this syndrome, including severity, impact on physical and academic performances. ObjectiveCompare the physical performance in a six minutes walk test (6MWT) and the academic performance of MB and nasal-breathing (NB) children and adolescents. MethodThis is a descriptive, cross-sectional, and prospective study with MB and NB children submitted to the 6MWT and scholar performance assessment. ResultsWe included 156 children, 87 girls (60 NB and 27 MB) and 69 boys (44 NB and 25 MB). Variables were analyzed during the 6MWT: heart rate (HR), respiratory rate, oxygen saturation, distance walked in six minutes and modified Borg scale. All the variables studied were statistically different between groups NB and MB, with the exception of school performance and HR in 6MWT. ConclusionMB affects physical performance and not the academic performance, we noticed a changed pattern in the 6MWT in the MB group. Since the MBs in our study were classified as non-severe, other studies comparing the academic performance variables and 6MWT are needed to better understand the process of physical and academic performances in MB children.
Highlights
Breathing is a vital function, closely dependent on proper nasal patency[1]
Variables were analyzed during the 6MWT: heart rate (HR), respiratory rate, oxygen saturation, distance walked in six minutes and modified Borg scale
All the variables studied were statistically different between groups NB and mouth breathing (MB), with the exception of school performance and HR in 6MWT
Summary
Breathing is a vital function, closely dependent on proper nasal patency[1]. Mouth breathing (MB) happens due to a switch from nasal breathing (NB) into the mouth breathing (MB), lasting for more than 6 months. MB is caused by mechanical events, allergic and non-allergic inflammatory diseases, congenital malformations and tumors[1,2,3]. MB consequences may stem from: (i) changes to physiological mechanisms: especially due to local inflammation and allergy; and (ii) facial changes: especially due to congenital anatomical changes. Upper airway obstructions in the first childhood, depending on severity and duration may cause MB due to inflammation of the vocal folds, pharyngeal and palatine tonsils[1,4]
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