Association between nasal respiratory obstruction and vertical mandibular position

Abstract

Vertical mandibular position is considered to have an effect on the patency of the upper airway, because mouth opening is associated with a backward and downward displacement of the mandible and tongue. This study was conducted to investigate the nature of mandibular displacement at rest and to determine whether or not different respiration modes and body postures influence the mandibular position. The mandibular position was measured by use of a newly developed system with magnets and magnetic sensors placed on the upper and lower first molars, respectively. Vertical mandibular position was significantly affected by the degree of nasal airway obstruction. The proportion of the duration of mouth opening from 0 to 2.5 mm was about 80% in the sitting and lateral recumbent positions and 55% in the supine position. The amount and duration of vertical mandibular displacement were thus significantly increased by experimentally induced nasal respiratory obstruction. Furthermore, it was demonstrated that the amount and duration of mouth opening were significantly greater in the supine posture than in the sitting and lateral recumbent positions. It is thus shown that nasal respiratory disturbance may be a key determinant for mouth opening and breathing and the resultant vertical mandibular displacement.

Influence of breathing route on upper airway lining liquid surface tension in humans

“…In their study, Gleeson et al (1986) concluded that oral breathing during the night may be associated with OSAHS in men and, along with (Nishino & Kochi, 1994), they also concluded that the resistive load imposed by nasal breathing may be an important factor in determining ventilation levels during sleep. The mechanisms linking breathing route and sleep‐disordered breathing are not clear, although degree of nasal obstruction (Fitzpatrick et al 2003; Shikata et al 2004) breathing route effects on ventilatory drive (Douglas et al 1982), upper airway muscle recruitment and pharyngeal airway mechanical properties (Basner et al 1989) have been considered. The present study highlights another potential mechanism, i.e.…”

Alterações orofaciais em doenças alérgicas de vias aéreas

“…No Quadro 2, Vig (22) propõe uma seqüência de eventos para explicar a alteração do crescimento facial vertical em conseqüência à obstrução nasal. Um distúrbio respiratório pode ser a chave determinante da abertura da boca, resultando no deslocamento mandibular (33) , encontrado com freqüência em indivíduos com tendência de tipo facial dolicofacial (31) .…”

Short-Term Change in Occlusal Function after Using Mandibular Advancement Appliance for Snoring: A Pilot Study

“…Their results showed that vertical mandibular posture is more downward during sleep in OSA patients than in controls, and mandibular opening progressively increases from 0 to more than 10 mm during apnoeic episodes. In our previous study, Shikata et al [35] found that the amount and duration of vertical mandibular displacement were significantly increased (approximate 10 mm) by experimentally induced nasal respiratory obstruction in awake healthy subjects. From these studies, the nature of mandibular displacement with breathing disorder can be often observed at around 10 mm mouth opening; therefore, we believe that it is more favorable not to fix the mandible rigidly in terms of the jaw reflex and masticatory stiffness even during sleep.…”