Palatal surface and volume in mouth-breathing subjects evaluated with three-dimensional analysis of digital dental casts-a controlled study.

OBJECTIVE: To compare the anatomical characteristics of the maxillary arch, identified as palatal surface area and volume, between mouth-breathing and nose-breathing subjects using a three-dimensional (3D) analysis of digital dental casts.

METHODS: Twenty-one Caucasian subjects (14 females and 7 males) with a mean age of 8.5 years [standard deviation (SD) 1.6 years] were selected according to the following criteria: mouth-breathing pattern due to allergic rhinitis, early mixed dentition, skeletal Class I relationship, and pre-pubertal stage of cervical vertebral maturation. This study group (SG) was compared with a control group (CG) of 17 nose-breathing subjects (9 females and 8 males, mean age: 8.5 years; SD: 1.7 years). For each subject, initial dental casts were taken and the upper arch was scanned using a 3D laser scanner. On each digital model, 3D measurements were performed to analyse maxillary arch morphology. Between-group differences were tested with the independent sample Student's t-test (P < 0.05).

RESULTS: In mouth-breathing subjects, changes in physiological function of the upper respiratory tract resulted in skeletal adaptations of the maxillary arch. In the SG, both palatal surface area and volume were significantly smaller when compared with values of the CG. In particular, the palatal surface area and palatal volume were, respectively, 13.5 and 27.1 per cent smaller in the SG when compared to the CG.

CONCLUSIONS: Subjects with prolonged mouth breathing showed a significant reduction of the palatal surface area and volume leading to a different development of the palatal morphology when compared with subjects with normal breathing pattern.