title: Postural control of mouth breathing school aged children regarding gender.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Postural control of mouth breathing school aged children.
  
  
  OBJECTIVE
  To compare the posture and body balance of school aged children groups, with and without oral breathing considering the variable gender.
  
  
  METHODS
  The study was developed at a municipal school in the city of Santa Maria (Brazil) and received prior approval of the ethics committee of the University of Santa Maria. The study group (with oral breathing) and the control group (without oral breathing) were selected based on an anamnesis, age (between 8 and 12 years), assessment of the stomatognathic system and auditory evaluation. The final sample was composed by 51 children in the study group (20 female and 31 male) and 58 in the control group (34 female and 24 male). Both groups were submitted to a dynamic posturography (sensory organization test--SOT) and to a postural assessment in right and left lateral view.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Regarding the female gender, a statistically significant difference was observed for the angle that evaluates head horizontal alignment; for the SOT III value and for all SOT mean values. As for the male gender, a significant numerical difference was observed for the knee angle, for the ankle angle, for the SOT III value, for the SOT IV value and for all SOT mean values.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  School aged children with oral breathing present postural alterations; females present head positing alterations and males present alterations in the position of the inferior limbs. The body balance of school aged children with oral breathing, of both genders, demonstrated to be altered when compared to children without oral breathing, especially in the presence of sensorial conflict.
authors.affiliation: Universidade Federal de Santa Maria. brunaroggia@yahoo.com.br
authors.forename: Bruna
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Roggia
authors.forename: Bruna
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Correa
authors.forename: Gabriel Ivan
authors.initials: GI
authors.lastname: Pranke
authors.forename: Rudi
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Facco
authors.forename: Angela Garcia
authors.initials: AG
authors.lastname: Rossi
mesh_terms: D016022:Case-Control Studies; D002648:Child; D005260:Female; D006320:Hearing Tests; D006801:Humans; D007091:Image Processing, Computer-Assisted; D008297:Male; D009058:Mouth Breathing / Q000503:physiopathology*; D004856:Postural Balance / Q000502:physiology*; D011187:Posture / Q000502:physiology*; D012737:Sex Factors; D013284:Stomatognathic System / Q000502:physiology; D014785:Vision, Ocular / Q000502:physiology