INCIDÊNCIA DA AUSÊNCIA DE SELAMENTO LABIAL INFANTIL EM CRIANÇAS DE 0 A 3 ANOS

• DOI: https://doi.org/10.22533/at.ed.558112509013

• Palavras-chave: Respiração bucal. Desenvolvimento infantil. Saúde infantil.

• Keywords: Mouth breathing. Child development. Child health

• Abstract: The lip seal is the contact between the upper lip and the lower lip, they remain sealed or closed. Inadequate lip sealing can also be a consequence of orofacial and occlusal alterations, in addition to these causes, inadequate sealing can be the result of a bad habit. Breathing is fundamental and indispensable for the body, as it is capable of carrying out gas exchange, providing oxygenation to the organs and expelling air that is no longer needed to the external environment. Correct breathing, through the nose, allows air to reach the lungs warmed, filtered and humidified. The changes that occur in the medium or long term are dysfunctional mouth breathing, or mixed breathing (through the nose and mouth), which can have harmful consequences for the individual's quality of life due to its personal, physical, psychological and social relationship impact. The aim of this study was to verify the incidence of children with permanent lack of lip seal, with an open mouth posture, showing signs of breathing through the mouth and possibly nose (mixed). Cross-sectional, quantitative and observational study carried out in five municipal daycare centers in Gurupi (CEMEI), approved by the CAAE Research Ethics Committee: 57453722.7.0000.5518. All children aged 0 to 3 years were observed in the daycare routine, and those detected with lack of lip sealing with signs of mixed breathing were invited to participate in a lecture on the subject. The lecture was given by the research team, presenting about the correct respiratory function, problems of mixed breathing in children and their possible consequences, and breastfeeding as fundamental for correct breathing. At the end of the lecture, all parents were invited to answer a questionnaire about their child's breathing and were referred for multidisciplinary therapy. Of the 637 children evaluated, 249 (39%) had lack of lip sealing, with a higher prevalence in boys (58%). The result showed that 41.4% of the children had non-nutritive sucking habits, the majority were born at term (87.5%), live in brick houses (80%), but 24.6% face humidity in their homes. The presence of snoring was 15.7% and some parents reported the perception of respiratory difficulty (24.2%). The Chi-square test analysis was significant for the type of house with p=0.04. Of the children enrolled in daycare centers in the city of Gurupi diagnosed with lack of lip seal and mixed breathing, this study showed some characteristics of the profile of this sample. The majority of children are male, born at full term, live in a brick house without humidity or mold and have no difficulty breathing through their nose.