Postural alterations in children with mouth breathing assessed by computerized biophotogrammetry.

OBJECTIVES To determine and compare the posture of children with obstructive (OMB) and functional mouth breathing (FMB) and children with nasal breathing (NB) using computerized biophotogrammetry, as well as to determine the viability and efficacy of this method. METHODS Evaluative and personalized methods were used for the capture and analysis of angle images obtained from 19 NB, 26 FMB and 17 OMB children of either gender aged 8 to 10 years on anterior, posterior and profile views. The nonparametric Kruskal-Wallis test was applied to analyze the three groups as a whole and the Mann-Whitney test was used for pairwise comparison of the groups (p = 0.05). RESULTS The angle related to the lateral knee condyle, lateral ankle malleolus and 5th metatarsal diaphysis (KAM) was significantly greater in NB than in FMB children. With respect to the angle related to the nasal external acoustic meatus and pogonion (GMM), nasal external acoustic meatus and manubrium (GME), and 2nd cervical vertebra, major cervical curvature point and 7th cervical vertebra (C2C7), significantly higher values were observed for the OMB group compared to NB children. The angle formed by the 2nd thoracic vertebra, the major prominent thoracic point and the 9th thoracic vertebra (T2T9) was significantly greater in FMB than in OMB children. CONCLUSIONS Computerized biophotogrammetry was found to e a safe and reliable technique, allowing comparison between the children analyzed, as well as the detection of postural alterations in mouth breathing children.

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