Gender as risk factor for mouth breathing and other harmful oral habits in preschoolers

analyze associations between the mouth-breathing pattern and other harmful oral habits among preschoolers. Methods: An observational, cross-sectional study was carried out involving 198 children from 3 to five 5 of age. A questionnaire, clinical evaluation and specific tests (mirror and water tests) were used for confirmation of the mouth-breathing pattern. Results: Mean age of the participants was 4.13 ± 0.8 years and 57.1% were male. A total of 87.4% exhibited one or more harmful oral habits. Harmful habits were more common in the male gender (61.8%); this association was statistically significant (p