Oral and Systemic Effects of Breathing Patterns: Nasal Breathing vs. Mouth Breathing

Citation

Gustafson, J.R., Foster, S., & Swarthout, K. (2022). Oral and systemic effects of breathing patterns: Nasal breathing vs. mouth breathing. Dental Academy of Continuing Education. https://dentalacademyofce.com/courses/oral-and-systemic-effects-of-breathing-patterns-nasal-breathing-vs-mouth-breathing/

Additional Note

This peer-reviewed paper was given as part of an online course designed for dentists, dental hygienists, and dental assistants. So, it was slightly different from standard papers, but still peer-reviewed and packed with excellent information.

4 FUNDAMENTALS

 

1. Essential Background Material

 

This review examined the differences between nose and mouth breathing and its implications for our overall health and wellness.

 

You likely know by now that nasal breathing is healthy breathing. 

 

But what defines a nasal breather from a mouth breather?  They say this is determined by how a person breathes at rest.

 

If you breathe nasally at rest, you’re a nasal breather; otherwise, you’re a mouth breather.  (I had never heard an actual clinical definition of it.)

 

Moreover (and this is critical), combining nasal and mouth breathing during exercise still keeps us in the “nasal breather” category.

 

But if you’re a mouth breather at rest, there are several detrimental effects on your face, mouth, and overall health.  Fortunately, there are ways to fix them, too.

 

This article reviews all of this and highlights just how powerful the route of each breath we take is for our health.

 

  

2. What Did this Research Do?

 

This narrative review pulled together several disparate studies and fields to examine the impacts of nose vs. mouth breathing.

 

For example, it explores everything from craniofacial development to plaque buildup to inflammation to Buteyko.

 

Although not as rigorous as a systematic review or meta-analysis, narrative reviews are some of the most fun to read because of the breadth of topics covered and the practicality of the findings.

 

 

3. What Were the Major Findings?

 

Causes of Mouth Breathing

Question: If nasal breathing is so good, why do so many of us mouth breathe?

 

Here are some of the common causes they found:

  • Allergies or getting a cold can create a habit of mouth breathing.

  • Asthma

  • Narrow airways

  • Reduced nasal function of any kind

 

Adverse Effects of Mouth Breathing

  • Changes in force on the lips, tongue, and cheeks significantly modify craniofacial development.  This leads to adaptations that reduce nasal airway function, further promoting mouth breathing.

  • Airway collapse and sleep apnea.

  • Tooth decay and loss.

  • Loss of lip tone and the development of tongue thrusting (where the tongue sticks through the front teeth).

  • Increased and/or chronic activation of the sympathetic nervous system

  • Increased risk of cardiovascular disease, chronic fatigue, hypertension, and systemic inflammation.

  • Increased chances of anxiety.

  • Increased plaque buildup.

  • Increased risk of systemic infections.

 

How to Fix It (and the benefits of nasal breathing)

Breathing retraining can be highly beneficial to reverse, mitigate, or prevent these issues altogether.  This can include using various pranayama techniques, Buteyko breathing, or capnometry-assisted breathing training (the latter being the monitoring of exhaled carbon dioxide to ensure proper breathing volume).  Moreover, humming techniques may help children correct dysfunctional mouth breathing patterns.

 

Using one (or all) of these methods to restore nasal breathing can:

  • Engage the parasympathetic nervous system more.

  • Reduces stress and anxiety.

  • Decrease heart rate and blood pressure (better cardiovascular health).

  • Improve overall lung function.

  • Decrease the risk of asthma attacks.

  • Reduce oxidative stress and inflammation.

  • Improve sleep.

 

 

4. Why Do These Results Matter?

 

Mouth breathing is pervasive in our modern world.  As we learn in this study, this causes many adverse effects.  On the flip side, there are many positive outcomes from breathing through our noses, and training ourselves to breathe this way is safe, effective, and essentially free. 

 

Thus, all the results outlined here are meaningful because they provide scientific evidence for why we should be breathing through our noses (most of the time), along with straightforward ways we can retrain our breathing.

 

 

 

1 BIG TAKEAWAY

 

Nasal breathing is healthy breathing, promoting better facial structure, oral health, and cardiovascular function, as well as deeper sleep and less stress and anxiety. Mouth breathing, on the other hand, contributes to many facial abnormalities and oral and systemic health complications.

 

 

 

1 PRACTICAL APPLICATION

 

The most straightforward application of this research is to begin nasal breathing as much as possible.

 

If you have a structural issue that prevents nasal breathing (for example, a deviated septum), it’s essential to seek professional help to restore it and mitigate the harmful effects of mouth breathing.

 

Finally, we can apply the results of this review by seeking out pranayama techniques, Buteyko, or capnometry-assisted breathing retraining to improve our ability to breathe nasally and enhance our overall health and well-being.