Could Mouth Breathing Lead to Adenoid Hypertrophy?

Abstract

Introduction: Adenoid hypertrophy (AH), an immune response of the body against infections, is common in children and has adverse effects on their physical and mental health. The hypothesis: We hypothesized that mouth breathing (MB) may induce AH, and that they interact with each other. Evaluation of The Hypothesis: AH may cause upper airway obstruction, which can induce the patient to switch from nasal breathing to mouth breathing (MB). However, MB does not involve the processes of warming, humidifying, and cleaning the inhaled air, which leads to changes in the oral environment and increases the risk of inflammation of the upper respiratory tract. This study discussed the relationship between MB and AH. The importance of this hypothesis is that attention should be paid to the status of MB or AH while treating them in order to block the interaction and thus improve the efficiency of treatment.