Mouth-breathing Pattern in Preschool Children: Knowledge of Preschool Teacher

Abstract

The labor process is a crucial phase in a pregnant woman's life. However, it is often perceived as a frightening experience due to routine procedures carried out without her consent and the potential for traumatic experiences that can have long-lasting effects. Nursing, particularly midwifery, is responsible for providing support and care that upholds the dignity of women. This integrative literature review aims to identify and analyze the reasons health professionals identify for the practice of episiotomy in ectopic births and the situations in which it would be appropriate to perform it. The results of this review may help identify gaps in practice and guide the improvement of the quality of obstetric care. Eight articles were selected for analysis after a detailed review of 200. The review revealed that health professionals perform episiotomies for various reasons related to the fetus, the pregnant/parent, the health professional, and the birth. The most common reasons given by the participants were physical damage and maternal physical characteristics. Results provide a better understanding of practice gaps, enlighten the need to improve knowledge and evidence-based care practices, and encourage health professionals to examine their practices.

This study was carried out to determine the knowledge, attitudes and needs of information of preschool teachers toward mouth breathing pattern in children.

Methods: Thirty European Portuguese preschool teachers fulfilled a self-report online questionnaire about their knowledge about mouth breathing consequences on preschool children, their attitudes when detecting this condition in class and their necessity of more information regarding this theme. The responses were statistically analyzed using SPSS version 26.0.

Results and discussion: Sixty-seven percent of preschool teachers reported having knowledge about mouth breathing pattern. Forty percent stated that their knowledge about this condition was obtained through a speech-language therapist. Regarding the consequences of mouth breathing pattern, the responses that were more frequent chosen were “open mouth posture”, “articulation disorders” and “snoring”. All participants reported informing the family about the existence of a mouth breathing pattern detected in children. Most preschool teachers considered very important to receive more information about this theme.