The effect of mouth breathing on chewing efficiency

Abstract

Objective: To examine the effect of mouth breathing on chewing efficiency by evaluating masticatory variables. Materials and Methods: Ten adult nasal breathers with normal occlusion and no temporomandibular dysfunction were selected. Subjects were instructed to bite the chewing gum on the habitual side. While breathing through the mouth and nose, the glucide elution from the chewing gum, number of chewing strokes, duration of chewing, and electromyography (EMG) activity of the masseter muscle were evaluated as variables of masticatory efficiency. Results: The durations required for the chewing of 30, 60, 90, 120, 180, and 250 strokes were significantly (P , .05) longer while breathing through the mouth. There was no significant difference in the glucide elution rate (%) for each chewing stroke between nose and mouth breathings. The glucide elution rates for 1-and 3-minute chewing were significantly (P , .05) lower while breathing through the mouth. However, there was no significant difference in the glucide elution rate for 5-minute chewing between nose and mouth breathings. While chewing for 1, 3, and 5 minutes, the chewing stroke and EMG activity of the masseter muscle were significantly (P , .05) lower during mouth breathing. Conclusions: It takes a longer amount of time to complete chewing to obtain higher masticatory efficiency when breathing through the mouth. Therefore, mouth breathing will decrease the masticatory efficiency if the duration of chewing is restricted in everyday life. (Angle Orthod. 2016;86:227-234.)

Conhecimento dos professores sobre a respiração oral antes e após programa de orientação

“…Structural changes may include, mouth breathing which can cause craniofacial, dental (14)(15)(16)(17)(18) , orofacial musculature (17) and postural changes (19) . These changes can result in changes in the stomatognathic system, affecting chewing (20,21) , speech (22) and swallowing (23) .…”

Dental status, oral prosthesis and chewing ability in an adult and elderly population in southern Brazil

“…Thus, prolonged chewing is required to form a bolus and initiate swallowing. Oral breathing restricts chewing in daily life, and it is not uncommon that chewing competes with breathing and may be associated with chewing inefficiency, as well as dentofacial alterations, at any stage of life 11 , 12 .…”

“…Chewing, therefore, plays a critical role in the daily lives of all individuals. Previous studies examining this phenomenon usually use clinical or institutionalized populations 8 , 10 , 11 , 13 . It is critical to understand the distribution of chewing ability as well as the factors associated with this condition through a population-based household survey to understand the dysfunctions in the adult and elderly population, such as difficulties in eating consistent foods and difficulties in forming the food bolus for swallowing 14 , 15 .…”

Mouth Breather Diagnosis Considerations-A Critical Review

“…Oral alterations include: masticatory deficiency and decreased tongue pressure [10,11], a state of poor oral health with presence of active caries and gingivitis [12], besides being more common to have class II malocclusion, division 1 of Angle [13].…”