Mouth breathing can affect speech development, socialization, and school performance. Early detection of mouth breathing is essential to prevent and minimize its negative effects on the overall development of individuals.

OBJETIVO: verificar a relação entre a etiologia da respiração oral e os diferentes tipos de alteração de audição. MÉTODOS: coletaram-se 97 prontuários no Centro do Respirador Bucal da UNIFESP. As etiologias foram classificadas em: Hipertrofia de Adenoamígdala, Atopia, Atopia com Hipertrofia e Funcional. Os 97 pacientes realizaram exames audiométricos e foram considerados alterados aqueles que os limiares tonais (nas freqüências de 250 a 8 kHz) e ósseos (de 500 a 4 kHz) foram superiores a 20 dBNA com Gap aéreo-ósseo maior que 10 dB e com curva timpanométrica desviada apartir de -100dapa. De acordo com o grau de comprometimento, os tipos de perda foram classificadas como leve ou moderada. Na timpanometria, a curva A representou a normalidade; a curva B, Otite média e a C, os casos de disfunção tubária. RESULTADOS: limiares compatíveis à audição normal foram encontrados em 79,5% dos pacientes atópicos; 61,8% dos atópicos com hipertrofia; 57,7% dos com hipertrofia e em 100% dos respiradores orais funcionais. Através da correlação entre as etiologias e achados imitanciométricos verificou-se que em indivíduos atópicos prevaleceu a curva tipo C (29,5 %). Em pacientes atópicos tinham hipertrofia a curva mais encontrada foi a B (32,4%) e nos indivíduos com hipertrofia, somente, observou-se tanto curva tipo B como C, com idêntica prevalência de 21,8%. Todos os respiradores orais funcionais apresentaram curva timpanométrica tipo A. CONCLUSÃO: pôde-se verificar que a freqüência de respiradores orais sem alteração de audição é expressiva, independente da etiologia, porém os pacientes com hipertrofia apresentam maior suscetibilidade á alterações timpanométricas.

Objective: This study was designed to compare the soft tissue morphology of individuals according to their facial patterns. Methods: Were used cephalograms of 90 patients of both genders, aged 12 to 16 years, which were divided into three distinct groups, according to their morphological patterns, i.e., mesofacials, dolichofacials and brachyfacials. The groups were compared in terms of thickness and height of the upper and lower lips, and thickness of the soft tissue chin. Correlations between soft tissue variables and dental and skeletal cephalometric measurements were also investigated. Results and Conclusions: Thickness of upper lip, lower lip and soft tissue chin showed no differences in all morphological groups. However, upper and lower lip heights were significantly greater in dolichofacials. Brachyfacials showed smaller upper lip height compared with mesofacials, although no differences were found between those two groups in terms of lower lip height. Assessment of the correlations between soft and skeletal/dental variables evidenced vertical development of the upper and lower lips, commensurate with the vertical development of the skeleton. The vertical positioning of upper incisors significantly correlated with the same parameters related to the lips, which ensured a similar exposure level of these teeth in all groups. AbstractKeywords: Vertical pattern. Cephalometry. Lip. Chin.

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The purpose of this study was to verify the inter-rater agreement level as a means of obtaining an efficiency measure of a standard mastication evaluation through video recordings. The studied population included oral breathing children and teenagers with maxillary atresia. The chewing aspects studied were mode of chewing and preferential chewing side. A white tag was placed on half the subjects´ chins while the recordings were made. Two expert evaluators analyzed 54 video recordings at regular viewing speed. The lead author analyzed the same video recordings both at reduced speed and at reduced speed linked through graphical computing techniques. The analysis was conducted on chewing cycles with the viewing angle of the frontal plane. Findings indicated that when comparing the data for the three manners of watching the video recordings, the agreement level was higher for videos with the tag on the chin watched at reduced speed. It was also determined that alternating and bilateral mastication modes were prevalent (64.7%) in this sample.