ABSTRACT
Enlargement of Adenoid is one of the most common disorders in childhood affecting different aspects of oral and dental health and quality of life. As a result of frequent respiratory infections, allergy, nasal septum deviation and choronic sinusitis due to adenoid enlargement, facial height, gonial angle, overjet and overbite undergo changes. The purpose of this study was to assess the effect of adenoid enlargement on oro-jaw-facial cephalometric Indices and occlusion. In this cross-sectional analytical study, 96 children [6-12 years old] with adenoid enlargement [case group] and 96 children with normal size adenoid [control group] were randomly selected among patients referring to Khorasgan dental school and ENT clinics and different hospitals in Isfahan. Variables of overjet, overbite, open bite, mouth breathing, lip incompetency, gingivitis, SNA, SNB, ANB, gonial angles and facial height in two groups were evaluated. The data were analysed by chi-square and t-tests using SPSS version 9 software. The differences in anterior facial height, anterior/posterior facial height, gonial angle, SNB, overjet, snoring, mouth breathing, gingivitis and posterior crossbite between case and control groups were significant [P<0.05]. Adenoid enlargement induces some oromaxillofacial changes which inturn affect the region functionally and esthetically. The severity of these changes depends on the level of adenoid enlargement, time length of changes and induced mouth breathing duration versus normal growth and development maintenance mechanisms as well as the practitioner's interventional strategies