Dental arch dimensional changes after adenotonsillectomy in prepubertal children.
BACKGROUND
The purposes of this study were to investigate the dental arch changes after adenotonsillectomies in prepubertal children and to compare the dental arch dimensions of mouth-breathing and nasal-breathing children.


METHODS
The sample included 49 prepubertal severely obstructed mouth-breathing children and 46 prepubertal nasal-breathing children. Twenty-four of the 49 mouth-breathing children had an adenotonsillectomy and composed the adenotonsillectomy subgroup. The 25 children in whom the mouth-breathing pattern was unchanged during the 1-year study period composed the control subgroup.


RESULTS
The mouth-breathing children showed a deeper palatal vault, a larger mandibular width, and a larger mandibular arch length in comparison with the nasal-breathing children. After airway clearance, the adenotonsillectomy group showed a significant maxillary transverse width gain compared with the control subgroup. The control subgroup showed a significant deepening of the palatal height when compared with the adenotonsillectomy subgroup after 1 year.


CONCLUSIONS
The adenotonsillectomy subgroup had a significantly different pattern of arch development compared with the untreated controls. After adenotonsillectomy, the mouth-breathing children showed greater maxillary transverse development than did the controls. The palatal vault deepened in the untreated children. The mouth-breathing children showed a deeper palatal vault, a larger mandibular width, and a larger mandibular arch length in comparison with the nasal-breathing children.
Private practice, Belo Horizonte, Minas Gerais, Brazil. Electronic address: annapetraccone@yahoo.com.br.
Anna Cristina
AC
Petraccone Caixeta
Associate professor, Graduate Program in Orthodontics, Pontifical Catholic University of Minas Gerais, Belo Horizonte, Minas Gerais, Brazil.
Ildeu
I
Andrade
Private practice, Belo Horizonte, Minas Gerais, Brazil.
Tatiana
T
Bahia Junqueira Pereira
Medical doctor, Outpatient Clinic for Mouth Breathers, Federal University of Minas Gerais, Belo Horizonte, Minas Gerais, Brazil.
Letícia Paiva
LP
Franco
Medical doctor, Outpatient Clinic for Mouth Breathers, Federal University of Minas Gerais, Belo Horizonte, Minas Gerais, Brazil.
Helena Maria Gonçalves
HM
Becker
Associate professor, Graduate Program in Orthodontics, Pontifical Catholic University of Minas Gerais, Belo Horizonte, Minas Gerais, Brazil.
Bernardo Quiroga
BQ
Souki
D000233:Adenoidectomy; D000402:Airway Obstruction / Q000473:pathology; D016022:Case-Control Studies; D002508:Cephalometry / Q000379:methods; D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D015331:Cohort Studies; D003481:Cuspid / Q000473:pathology; D003724:Dental Arch / Q000473:pathology*; D005260:Female; D005500:Follow-Up Studies; D006801:Humans; D006984:Hypertrophy; D008297:Male; D008312:Malocclusion, Angle Class II / Q000473:pathology; D008334:Mandible / Q000473:pathology; D008437:Maxilla / Q000254:growth & development / Q000473:pathology; D008963:Molar / Q000473:pathology; D009058:Mouth Breathing / Q000473:pathology; D009302:Nasopharyngeal Diseases / Q000473:pathology; D009666:Nose / Q000502:physiology; D024343:Open Bite / Q000473:pathology; D010159:Palate / Q000473:pathology; D014066:Palatine Tonsil / Q000473:pathology; D011627:Puberty; D012119:Respiration; D014068:Tonsillectomy