The influence of oral breathing type on the formation of occlusion in students of general educational institutions of the Ministry of Defense of Russian Federation
Authors: Sokolovich Natalia А. , Saunina Anastasiya A. , Dvoryanchikov Vladimir V. , Lunev Anatoli A. , Soldatov Иван K. , Donskaya Olga S. 
Published: April 2024

BACKGROUND: Among students of general education organizations of the Ministry of Defense of Russian Federation, respiratory diseases is the leading cause of general somatic morbidity and amount to 1543.5‰. When examining students, pathology of the upper respiratory tract is often diagnosed, such as partial or complete obstruction of the nasopharynx and/or oropharynx. Against this background, the formation of the oral type of breathing occurs, which affects the state of general somatic health and growth and development of the facial skeleton.
AIM: To evaluate the influence of oral breathing on the dentoalveolar and gnathic parameters of the maxillofacial region in students of educational institutions of the Ministry of Defense of Russian Federation.
MATERIALS AND METHODS: This study examined two groups of students aged 13–15 years from the St. Petersburg Cadet Military Corps named after Prince Alexander Nevsky: group 1, 30 cadets with oral breathing, and group 2 (control), 30 cadets with nasal breathing. All patients underwent an examination of the oral cavity, a photo protocol, scanning of the dentition, and cone-beam computed tomography of the skull bones and first cervical vertebrae in natural occlusion with a resolution of 17×15. The data were checked for normal distribution of features. The article presents arithmetic averages and their errors (M±m).
RESULTS: All the examined group 1 students with oral breathing were diagnosed with distal bite in combination with other dental anomalies: combined anomalies in the form of distal bite and disocclusion in the frontal region (56.7%); close position of the anterior group of teeth (93.3%); and unilateral (30.0%) and bilateral (13.3%) cross occlusion due to narrowing of the upper and lower jaws. In most cases, the group 1 students were diagnosed with a gnathic form of dentoalveolar anomaly (ANB parameter, 6.6±2.4°; Beta parameter, 24.7±3.1°) against the background of retroposition of the lower jaw (SNB parameter, 75.4±2.8°) and a decrease in the length of the lower jaw (Co–Gn parameter, 106.0±2.8 mm). All the group 2 (control) students had a neutral occlusion with a normal position of the upper jaw (SNA parameter, 81.4±2.1°) and a normal position of the lower jaw (SNB parameter, 79.8±1.6°) and the first skeletal class (ANB parameter, 2.3±1.1°; Beta parameter, 30.1±2.5°).
CONCLUSION: Oral breathing is accompanied by the development of disto-occlusion with the formation of a vertical gap in combination with cross occlusion in the lateral sections and close position of the anterior group of teeth against the background of a narrowing of the upper and lower jaws. Prompt diagnosis of upper respiratory tract pathology prevents the development of dentoalveolar and gnathic disorders of the maxillofacial area. To treat patients with oral breathing, a simultaneous approach is required with the involvement of a full-time otolaryngologist at the medical center.