Abstract

SUMMARY: Enlarged palatine tonsils and adenoids are thought to cause obstruction of the upper airway, triggering changes in breathing patterns, which in turn lead to dentofacial alterations, including malocclusions. The object of the present study was to correlate the size (grade) of the palatine tonsil with measurements of the maxillary and mandibular dental arches in children. This was an observational cross-sectional study carried out in 35 children aged between 6 and 11 years. The inter- and intra-arch parameters were measured (horizontal, vertical and sagittal analyses) by making plastercasts and then taking measurements with callipers. The tonsil size was classified in 5 grades from 0-4, using the Brodsky tonsil grading scale. The researcher was calibrated prior to carrying out the measurements. Pearson's chi-squared test was used and Pearson's correlation coefficient was calculated. The SPSS v.22.0 software was used, with a significance threshold of 5 %. Six patients were classified as grade 1, sixteen grade 2, eleven grade 3, two grade 4 and none of the patients presented grade 0.A low positive association was found between tonsil grade and the total length of the mandibular arch, a very low positive association between tonsil grade and maxillary inter-first premolar distance, total length of the maxillary arch and depth of the palatine recess.A very low negative association was found for tonsil grade and overjet, overbite, mandibular inter-permanent first molar distance, mandibular inter-first premolar distance, and mandibular and maxillary intercanine widths. No statistically significant correlation was observed for any of the measurements. No association was found between the tonsil grade and Angle's Classification, canine relationship, overjet and overbite. According to the results of this study there is no significant correlation between the dental arches and the tonsil grade.