[Orthodontic studies in mouth breathing]

The diagnosis of dental malocclusions and skeletal deformities associated with an oral mode of breathing, requires a comprehensive orthodontic examination. The importance of dental occlusion and the skeletal morphology is stressed. Lateral sliding of the mandible when the centric occlusion shows the first contact in a cusp-to-cusp relationship; unilateral or bilateral cross-bite, due to the underdevelopment of the maxillary; the sagittal relationship of the jaws (class 1, 2 or 3); a vertical excess of the anterior facial height with postero-rotation of the mandible and open bite context. Cephalometric analysis provides a better understanding of facial architecture and allows a quantitative and qualitative appreciation of dento-skeletal dysmorphism.