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Abstract

Topic covered: During the growth phase, children with mouth breathing develop various morphological and structural changes that can lead to craniofacial alterations and consequently, dental alterations. Objective: This systematic review aimed to assess whether children with mouth breathing have a higher prevalence of occlusion anomalies. The aim was to answer the following question: Is mouth breathing related to changes in occlusion in the oral cavity? Methods: The methodology was carried out through a search in the PubMed, Cochrane Library, Scielo and B-on databases. The following filters were applied in the research: limit of the last 10 years (2013-2023), “free full text” and language in Portuguese, English and French. Children under the age of 18 with mouth breathing and observational research articles were included. Systematic review articles, meta-analytical articles, case-control studies, review articles, studies in adults and studies in children without mouth breathing were excluded. Results: The preliminary bibliographic survey of electronic databases yielded 112 articles. After removing 10 duplicate articles, 69 articles were excluded after reading the titles and 15 after reading the summary/abstract. 94 articles were eliminated. Of the 18 articles selected for full reading, the eligibility criteria were applied, resulting in a total of 6 articles. Three independent authors extracted the data and assessed the risk of bias and the quality of the studies. After a critical methodological assessment, it was determined that the 6 articles met the necessary requirements to be included in this systematic review. Conclusion: The occlusal anomalies found in the mouth breathing children were: Class II, anterior open bite, posterior cross bite, increased overjet, narrow palate and maxillomandibular discrepancy. Immediate recognition and early treatment of mouth breathing are essential to reduce its harmful long-term consequences. Awareness of this problem and adequate access to specialized care can significantly improve children’s quality of life, promoting harmonious facial growth and ensuring optimal oral health.