AIM: the main goal of this paper was to determine the frequency of nasal obstruction among patients who need orthodontic treatment and its relationship to facial and dental problems. METHODS: eighty patients from 7 to 35 years of age were evaluated (37 male and 43 female). They all were submitted to odontological and otorhinolaryngological examination. RESULTS: it was observed nasal obstruction in 51,3% of all the subjects. The main cause was inflammatory rhinitis (61%) followed by adenotonsillar hyperplasia. There was a non-statistical predominance of dolichofacial patients among the ones with nasal obstruction, and we found an association between maxillary atresia, crossbite and ogival palate. We can conclude that the evaluation of nasal obstruction is very important in patients with malocclusion that need orthodontic treatment.
Nasal obstruction; Orthodontics; Malocclusion
