Facial characteristics
of children who breathe through the mouth
D Bresolin, GG Shapiro, PA Shapiro, SW Dassel, CT Furukawa, WE
Pierson, M Chapko and CW Bierman
There are many claims that abnormal breathing patterns alter facial
growth; however, there are limited controlled data to confirm
these claims. Thirty children with allergy, aged 6 to 12 years,
who had moderate-to-severe nasal mucosal edema on physical examination
and who appeared to breathe predominantly through the mouth and
15 children without allergy who had normal findings from nasal
examination and who appeared to breathe predominantly through
the nose were evaluated. All subjects received an intraoral clinical
examination and cephalometric radiograph analysis. In comparison
with children who breathed through the nose, children who breathed
through the mouth had longer faces with narrower maxillae and
retruded jaws. This supports the hypothesis that children with
nasal obstruction and who appear to breathe through the mouth
have distinctive facial characteristics. Pediatrics, Volume 73,
Issue 5, pp. 622-625, 05/01/1984
Copyright © 1984 by The American Academy of Pediatrics
