Evaluation of changes in oral and dental health and deleterious oral habits after adenoidectomy or adenotonsillectomy in children

Objective: This study aimed to evaluate changes in oral health status and related oral habits in children undergoing adenoidectomy or adenotonsillectomy, focusing on dental indices and mouth breathing-associated symptoms. Methods: This prospective observational study included 52 children (mean age: 7.4 ± 2.1 years) who underwent adenoidectomy or adenotonsillectomy. Clinical evaluations included decayed, missing, and filled teeth for primary dentition/ decayed, missing, and filled teeth for permanent dentition (dmft/DMFT) scores, plaque index (Silness and Löe), gingival index (Löe and Silness), and unstimulated salivary flow rate. Parents completed structured questionnaires assessing their children’s medical and dental history, oral health-related behaviors, and symptoms. Oral health-related quality of life was evaluated using the Early Childhood Oral Health Impact Scale. Results: Statistically significant improvements were found in salivary flow rate (from 0.43 ± 0.21 mL/min to 0.75 ± 0.19 mL/min), plaque index (1.58 ± 0.48 to 1.06 ± 0.33), and gingival index (1.28 ± 0.55 to 0.70 ± 0.39) (all P = 0.001). Several mouth breathing related symptoms, such as snoring, dry mouth, daytime sleepiness, and halitosis, also showed a significant postoperative reduction (P < 0.05). Conclusions: Adenoidectomy or adenotonsillectomy significantly improved periodontal parameters and reduced mouth breathing-associated symptoms in children. These findings highlight the importance of interdisciplinary management involving otolaryngologists, pediatric dentists, and orthodontists.