MOUTH BREATHING: What do parents know about it?

The purpose ofthis work is to know the parents' knowledge about mouth breathing.

Mouth breathing, as we know, has serious consequences as facial deformity. Facing the problem ofdeformity we asked owrselves why the parents ofthose children who breathe through the mouth don't take any action to solve the problem.

We believe that it is the lack ofinformation what prevents those parents from taking the right action to restore their children's nasal respiration.

The experimental group was constituted of150 parents (their children's age ranged from 6 to 8 years old) froin private school. The method we have chosen was the questionnaire because it's easy, fast and reliable in getting the necessary data. We have also made na explanatory booklet about mouth breathing, so that the parents could have some slight knowledge concerning the problem and, it necessary, intervene as early as possible.

We have concluded that the parents aren't aware ofthe consequences their children might have, but they know that when the children keep their mouth open there must be something wrong with them. ln severa( cases the doctors aren't clear enough about what action to be taken and in other cases the parents don't take the necessary action.

KEYWORDS:
mouth breathing; parents; facial deformity; early intervention.