Ear, nose and throat specialists’ awareness on oral and dental health and orthodontic problems in children with mouth breathing due to adenotonsillar hypertrophy

Abstract

Introduction: Considering the nature of oral healthcare needs for children with adenotonsillar hypertrophy (ATH) and mouth breathing and the increased risk of oral disease faced by the children, we aimed ascertain the perception and experience of ear, nose and throat (ENT) specialists to dental referral for such children. Material and Method: A descriptive, cross-sectional survey was sent to a sample of ENT specialists in Turkey. The questionnaire, consisted of 27 questions in five domains. A total of 123 ENT specialists participated in the survey. Results: In the evaluation of the examination of the oral cavity of children with ATH, a low frequency of examination for the malocclusion (57.7%) and oral functional habits (68.3%) was found. Reasons ENT specialists referred patients to orthodontists varied from missing teeth 15.4% to sounds from tmj 66.7%. In the chi-square test for the effect of gender and the location of practice in the orthodontic referral of ENT specialists we could identify significant predictors (p<0.05). Conclusion: Although the majority were aware that ENT specialists has an important role in the prevention of parafunctional oral habits and orthodontic anomalies, they did not have the pertinent knowledge and practice to apply a complete and systematic examination for oral and dental health, parafunctional oral habits and malocclusion.

Keywords

• ATH
• ENT specialists
• malocclusion
• oral and dental health
• referral

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