A Combined Protocol to AId Diagnosis of Breathing Mode

Objective: To evaluate, present, and test a method for diagnosing breathing mode. Methods: A total of 78 subjects, 65 with Class II division 1 malocclusion and 13 with normal Class I occlusion, (aged 11,0 to 14,11 years) were selected. Four procedures were carried out to establish the breathingtype variables: a mouth-posture visual exam, a subjective questionnaire, an otolaryngology exam to diagnose obstructions or alterations in nasal air way, and a speech pathology exam to estimate open mouth posture and functional aspects of speech, chewing and swallowing. Data were collected and a statistical analysis using multivariate methods was carried out to establish a final combined score for each subject. Results: Combined scores obtained for each individual demonstrated that the subjects with either occlusion could be classified hierarchically, from the lowest to the highest index, into two groups: subjects with more predominant mouth breathing aspects were categorized as group 1; while subjects with a more predominant nasal respiratory mode aspects were categorized as group 2. Conclusion: Our results demonstrate the utility of this combined evaluation protocol to classify breathing types into two distinct groups.