Background The mandibular opening path movements have different directions according to the craniofacial morphology of the patient but always downward and backward, therefore increasing the collapse of the upper airway. The aim of this work is to determine if there is a relationship between the craniofacial morphology and the mandibular movement to help understand the impact on the mandibular position. Methods 52 students with full permanent dentition aged 19 to 23 years (mean 21.3 SD 1.7; 29 females and 23 males), participated in the study. Each subject had a lateral cephalometric radiograph taken. The opening angle was determined for two levels of vertical openings at 5 and 10 mm. Results The opening angle showed a greater variability between subjects ranging from 63.15 to 77.08 for 5 mm angle and from for 61.65 to 75.72 for the 10 mm angle. Differences of facial phenotypes was evident when comparing the individual dissoccluding angle of the low angle horizontal pattern and high angle vertical pattern. Conclusions The opening angle is related to craniofacial morphology with higher vertical anterior and shorter anteroposterior faces having a more horizontal path of mandibular movement than shorter vertical anterior and longer anteroposterior subjects who have a more vertical path.

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BRIEF COMMUNICATIONSleep-related breathing disorders increase morbidity and mortality of those patients suffering from them. Snoring is a quite common disorder; however, there are no publications describing the knowledge of the patients that attend to the dental clinic on how snoring can be a severe health problem. To evaluate the knowledge of the severity of snoring and its impact on systemic health among the patients that attend to the dental clinic. Anonymous questionnaires were given to patients at dental clinics in 4 countries. The questionnaires were composed by nine questions related to snoring and how it affects general health in children and adults. A total of 200 subjects participated in this multicentric study. The mean age of the participants was 42.57 years. The results from the present study show that there is a great lack of knowledge on the severity of snoring. Fortyeight percent of the participants affirmed they snore; however, only 20% of the sample think it is important to consult a specialist due to this problem. This study reveals the great lack of knowledge regarding the negative impact of snoring on systemic health and the need of implementing educational programs.

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