OBJECTIVE: To investigate the relationship between excursion of the diaphragm muscle and spinal curvatures in mouth breathing children. METHODS: A total of 52 children of both sexes, aged from 5 to 12 years, were studied. After otorhinolaryngological assessment, the children were divided into two groups: mouth breathers and nose breathers. All of the children underwent videofluoroscopic examination of the diaphragm muscle and postural assessment. Diaphragm excursion was analyzed using Adobe Photoshop® software, and postural assessment was recorded using photographs in left lateral view, which were then analyzed using SAPO postural assessment software. RESULTS: The groups studied exhibited statistically significant differences in terms of spinal curvatures (cervical lordosis: p = 0.003; lumbar lordosis: p = 0.001; thoracic kyphosis: p = 0.002; position of the pelvis: p = 0.001) and diaphragm excursion (right side diaphragm: p = 0.001; left side diaphragm: p = 0.001). The mouth breathing group exhibited reduced cervical lordosis, increased thoracic kyphosis, increased lumbar lordosis and the position of the pelvis was tilted forward. The distance traveled outwards by the diaphragm muscles of mouth breathing children was shorter than that traveled by the muscles of nose breathing children. The relationship between the behavior of spinal curvatures and diaphragm excursion had no statistical significance. CONCLUSION: There was no relationship between spinal curvatures and diaphragm excursion in the groups studied here.
Mouth breathing; children; diaphragm muscles; spine
