Adenotonsillectomy in facial growing patients: spontaneous dental effects.
Children with hypertrophic tonsils and adenoids may have adverse effects on dental occlusion, which tend to worsen during the growth period. Diagnosis and early treatment is essential.


OBJECTIVE
Prospective clinical study to compare the cephalometric measurements before and after adenotonsillectomy in mouth breathing patients.


METHODS
We had 38 patients of both genders, aged between 7 and 11 years in our sample, broken down into: oral group, 18 patients with obstructive hypertrophy of pharyngeal tonsil and/or palate grade 3 or 4; control group, 20 patients with normal breathing. Angular and linear dental measurements were compared between the groups in a 14 months interval. We used the "t" Student and Wilcoxon tests for unpaired samples, at 5% significance, for statistical purposes.


RESULTS
The sagittal position and axial angle of the lower incisors increased significantly in the group with oral breathing, the sagittal position of the upper incisors increased significantly in the oral group, which still had a significant increase in overbite.


CONCLUSIONS
Adenotonsillectomy was very effective in improving some dental measurements, with benefits to growing patients preventing malocclusions from becoming difficult to treat or permanent.
Graduate Program in Orthodontics, School of Pindamonhangaba.
Silvia Regina Amorim
SR
Pereira
Silvia Fuerte
SF
Bakor
Luc Louis Maurice
LL
Weckx
D000233:Adenoidectomy / Q000379:methods; D016022:Case-Control Studies; D002508:Cephalometry; D002648:Child; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D006965:Hyperplasia / Q000150:complications / Q000473:pathology / Q000601:surgery; D007180:Incisor; D008297:Male; D008310:Malocclusion / Q000517:prevention & control / Q000601:surgery*; D009058:Mouth Breathing / Q000209:etiology / Q000601:surgery*; D014066:Palatine Tonsil / Q000473:pathology / Q000601:surgery*; D011446:Prospective Studies; D014068:Tonsillectomy / Q000379:methods