Dentofacial morphology and upper respiratory function in 8-10-year-old children.
OBJECTIVE
The aim of this preliminary study was to assess the nature of associations between selected dentofacial morphological variables and respiratory mode as measured by percent nasality (%N) as part of an ongoing longitudinal study.


METHODS
Cross-sectional cohort study.


METHODS
The Pediatric Clinical Study Center, Children's Hospital, Columbus, OH. Ninety-eight normal children were tested.


METHODS
Normal variation in %N.


METHODS
Selected dentofacial morphological variables including total and lower anterior face heights, face width, and palatal arch width and %N were estimated.


RESULTS
Small associations between morphologic features and respiratory mode were found, but none were statistically significant.


CONCLUSIONS
No evidence exists for the classic association between 'mouth breathing' and the stereotype of the 'adenoid facies'.
Shanker
S
S
Department of Health Services Research, Ohio State University, Columbus 43210-1241, USA. vasudevan.3@osu.edu
Vig
K W
KW
Beck
F M
FM
Allgair
E
E
Vig
P S
PS
D000403:Airway Resistance; D000704:Analysis of Variance; D002648:Child; D005145:Face / Q000033:anatomy & histology*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D016018:Least-Squares Analysis; D008137:Longitudinal Studies; D008297:Male; D009058:Mouth Breathing / Q000150:complications / Q000503:physiopathology*; D015508:Nasal Obstruction / Q000150:complications; D012123:Pulmonary Ventilation; D015203:Reproducibility of Results; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D014716:Vertical Dimension; D014833:Voice Quality