title: Obstructive sleep apnea prevents the expected difference in craniofacial growth of boys and girls.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  It was to compare cephalometric measures of mouth-breather boys and girls and with the cephalometric pattern observed in obstructive sleep apnea syndrome (OSAS) patients.
  
  
  METHODS
  Craniofacial measurements of lateral cephalometric radiographs obtained from 144 children aged 7-14 years were compared between boys and girls, and both were compared to cephalometric pattern of OSAS patients.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Mouth-breather boys and girls had no gender differences regarding to craniofacial morphology while nose-breather boys and girls showed those expected differences. Nose-breather boys presented a more retruded mandible and proinclined upper incisor when compared to nose-breather girls, but mouth-breather boys and girls had no differences. The measure NS.GoGn was the only variable with an interaction with gender and breathing.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  There were no cephalometric difference in mouth breather-boys and girls related to normal growth, suggesting that oral breathing make the same craniofacial morphology and both have craniofacial morphology close to that of OSAS patients.
authors: Sleep Laboratory, Department of Neurology, São Paulo Hospital, Universidade Federal de Sào Paulo, Brazil.
authors: Maria Ligia
authors: ML
authors: Juliano
authors: Marco Antonio Cardoso
authors: MA
authors: Machado
authors: Luciane Bizari Coin de
authors: LB
authors: Carvalho
authors: Gianni Mara Silva dos
authors: GM
authors: Santos
authors: Edilson
authors: E
authors: Zancanella
authors: Lucila Bizari Fernandes do
authors: LB
authors: Prado
authors: Gilmar Fernandes do
authors: GF
authors: Prado
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D002508:Cephalometry; D002648:Child; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008445:Maxillofacial Development / Q000502:physiology*; D009058:Mouth Breathing / Q000503:physiopathology*; D020181:Sleep Apnea, Obstructive / Q000150:complications*