Oral cavity morphology among children at risk of sleep disordered breathing.

Purpose: The aim of this study was to evaluate oral cavity morphology in children at risk of sleep disordered breathing (SDB).

Methods: The study included children 3-17 years of age. The risk of SDB was evaluated using the paediatric sleep questionnaire (PSQ); afterwards, children at risk of SDB were enrolled in the study group. A control group was randomly established from patients with negative PSQ results. The oral cavity morphology evaluation included assessment of the oropharynx using Mallampati classification (MC), palatine tonsil size using the Pirquet scale, occlusion and the presence of a high-arched palate and lingual frenulum.

Results: A total of 131 children were evaluated, 65 in the study and 66 in the control group. The mean ages were 9.5 ± 3.0 and 9.4 ± 3.1 years, respectively. The presence of higher scores on the MC, higher scores in the Pirquet scale, a crossbite, a high-arched palate and a short frenulum were significantly more frequent in the study group than the control group.

Conclusion: The evaluation of oral morphology is an important part of paediatric examination. Enlarged palatine tonsils; higher scores on the MC; and the presence of a crossbite, short lingual frenulum and high-arched palate may suggest abnormal breathing during sleep in children.