The relationship between functional disorders of tongue position during the act of swallowing and morphological structure of the dental system in children 6–12 aged

Introduction. Narrowing maxilla, which occurs as a result of an incorrect functional state of the dental system, can affect the development of general somatic pathology and social adaptation of growing patients. In particular, the infantile type of swallowing (ITS), today, is considered by many authors as a premorbid condition the specified dental pathology. This fact define the need to improve and implement an interdisciplinary approach at the stages of diagnosis and treatment of functionally determined occlusion anomalies in children with tongue dysfunction.

The aim of the study: is to analyze the relationship between swallowing dysfunction and the development of dental pathology in children 6–12 aged.

Materials and methods. Were examined 326 children (8,1±1,6 aged) with mixed dentition for frequency estimates of occlusion anomalies caused by narrowing maxilla and types of ITS. Clinical examination, radiological methods, electromyography, kinesiography of the lower jaw and the developed method of ultrasound diagnostics of the leading type of swallowing at children with mixed dentition (patent application for invention № 2025107573 dated March 28, 2025). Statistical analysis was performed using parametric and nonparametric methods of descriptive and correlation statistics.

Results. Frequency of occurrence of the infantile type of swallowing (ITS) in children with mixed dentition was 42,9 %. Its anterior type was 66,4 %, lateral type — 20,7 %, complex type — 12,9 %. Statistically significant differences were no found between the age and gender of patients (p<0,05 95 % CI). In 88 % of the examined children with ITS were identify incorrect anatomical and functional balance in the maxillofacial region, which most often led to formation of complex malocclusions — in 32,9 % and vertical incisor disocclusion — 29,3 %, in which the anterior type of ITS was significantly more common (p<0,001). With increasing patient age, the relative frequencies (proportions) of the indicated pathologies significantly increase (p<0,05), but we don′t have a statistically significant relationship with the gender of patients (p=0,7 95 % CI).

Conclusion. As a result of the comprehensive diagnostics of the dental system pathology in growing patients with narrowing maxilla and infantile type of swallowing, including the new method of ultrasound diagnostics of the leading type of swallowing in children, was determined a relationship between functional disorders of tongue position during the act of swallowing and the development of dentoalveolar anomalies in three mutually perpendicular plane. In 88 % of patients with this pathology showed disproportion in the facial profile and dental arches, asymmetric movements of the lower jaw and the work of the maxillofacial region muscles in accordance with the anterior, lateral or complex type of infantile swallowing.

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