Effectiveness of a miofuncional therapy program for the treatment of mouth breathing in subjects with malocclusion: clinical trial

Abstract

The influence of respiratory function in the craniofacial growth and development has been widely discussed in the literature and are known that mouth breathing may contribute to the development of malocclusions. The literature is sparse regarding speech therapy in cases with mouth breathing and no studies considering adults in the sample, or even focused breathing for speech in the intervention process have been found. The objective of this study is to investigate the effectiveness of a myofunctional program for the treatment of habitual mouth breathing in adults with malocclusion. For this, will be evaluated 30 patients in orthodontic treatment. The evaluation will comprise the analysis of dento-occlusal and respiratory function of the MBGR protocol, measurement of expiratory nasal flow (graded mirror of Altmann) and inspiratory (Peak Flow), spirometry (tidal volume) and air support available to speech (maximum phonation time). Moreover, the quality of life in oral health OHIP-14 and respiratory symptoms (Caouette - Laberge) protocols will be used. Because it is a clinical trial, for comparing and evaluating the efficiency of treatment, 15 subjects will undergo to a Myofunctional Therapy Program in 12 sessions, covering aspects of body posture, tonus and orofacial mobility and respiratory function. At the end of the program, all 30 subjects will pass by the same reviews that were initially performed. For statistical analysis, t paired and Mann-Whitney tests eill be applied for quantitative data, while McNemar's and Fisher's Exact tests will be applied to qualitative data, adopting a significance level of 5% (p< 0.05. (AU)