The influence of snoring, mouth breathing and apnoea on facial morphology in late childhood: A three-dimensional study

Ala Al Ali, Stephen Richmond, Hashmat Popat, Rebecca Playle, Timothy Pickles, Alexei I. Zhurov, David Marshall, Paul L. Rosin, John Henderson, Karen Bonuck

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

32 Scopus citations

Abstract

Objective: To explore the relationship between the prevalence of sleep disordered breathing (SDB) and face shape morphology in a large cohort of 15-year-old children. Design: Observational longitudinal cohort study Setting: Avon Longitudinal Study of Parents and Children (ALSPAC), South West of England. Participants: Three-dimensional surface laser scans were taken for 4784 white British children from the ALSPAC during a follow-up clinic. A total of 1724 children with sleep disordered breathing (SDB) and 1862 healthy children were identified via parents' report of sleep disordered symptoms for their children. We excluded from the original cohort all children identified as having congenital abnormalities, diagnoses associated with poor growth and children with adenoidectomy and/or tonsillectomy. Main outcome measures: Parents in the ALSPAC reported sleep disordered symptoms (snoring, mouth breathing and apnoea) for their children at 6, 18, 30, 42, 57, 69 and 81 months. Average facial shells were created for children with and without SDB in order to explore surface differences. Results: Differences in facial measurements were found between the children with and without SDB throughout early childhood. The mean differences included an increase in face height in SDB children of 0.3 mm (95% CI -0.52 to -0.05); a decrease in mandibular prominence of 0.9° (95% CI -1.30 to -0.42) in SDB children; and a decrease in nose prominence and width of 0.12 mm (95% CI 0.00 to 0.24) and 0.72 mm (95% CI -0.10 to -0.25), respectively, in SDB children. The odds of children exhibiting symptoms of SDB increased significantly with respect to increased face height and mandible angle, but reduced with increased nose width and prominence. Conclusions: The combination of a long face, reduced nose prominence and width, and a retrognathic mandible may be diagnostic facial features of SBD that may warrant a referral to specialists for the evaluation of other clinical symptoms of SDB.

Original languageEnglish (US)
Article numbere009027
JournalBMJ open
Volume5
Issue number9
DOIs
StatePublished - 2015

ASJC Scopus subject areas

  • General Medicine

Fingerprint

Dive into the research topics of 'The influence of snoring, mouth breathing and apnoea on facial morphology in late childhood: A three-dimensional study'. Together they form a unique fingerprint.

Cite this