Evaluation Of Orofacial Myofunctional Disorders Among A Group Of Children With Bronchial Asthma: A Cross-Sectional (Observational) Study

Scientific Background (Statement of the problem):

Bronchial Asthma is a growing prevalent health problem among pediatric patients. The prevalence of Bronchial Asthma among children and adolescence in Cairo, Egypt was 9.4%. It is a chronic inflammatory disease that affects the lungs characterized by bronchial hyperactivity causing reversible airway obstruction and inflammation, and increased airway receptivity to stimuli. Bronchial Asthma classification, historically, depended on the severity of symptoms, but recently Bronchial Asthma was classified according to levels of control: controlled, partly controlled, or uncontrolled. That recent classification considers not only the disease's severity but also the responsiveness to medications.

As a result of inflammatory response and airway obstruction, difficulty in breathing may cause discomfort to the patients. So oral breathing become an alternative to nasal breathing. This change in the way of breathing can affect craniofacial growth which in sequence affects facial muscles.

The most characteristic features of mouth breathing are a long face, flat nose with narrow nostrils, hypotonic orofacial muscles, and open or semi-open mouth. Early diagnosis of mouth breathing can prevent the development of these features.

The stomatognathic system is a functional complex with a highly adaptable complex of bones, muscles, joints, teeth, lips, tongue, cheeks, glands, arteries, veins, and nerves that act harmoniously. So, any change in this harmony causes imbalance and alteration in the function which is called Orofacial Myofunctional Disorders.