Maximum mouth opening of children in Newari population of Bhaktapur

Abstract

Background: Mouth opening is an everyday activity which plays a vital role for mastication and speech. Restricted mouth opening may be associated with musculoskeletal disorder or some pathology in the masticatory system or due to orofacial infections and trauma, as well as chronic condition such as disorders of the temporomandibular joint and tumors. So, den­tist are concerned about their patient’s ability to open the mouth for oral examination and dental procedures. This study was aimed to measure the maximum mouth opening among the Newari children of Bhaktapur.

Methods: A descriptive cross-sectional study was conducted among the Newari school children of Bhaktapur with a sample size of 250 subjects. Descriptive statistical analysis was done using SPSS version 16.

Results: Among the participants, one hundred and nineteen (47.6%) were male while 131 (52.4%) were female. The mean maximum mouth opening seen in male was 41.61 ± 6.21mm and in female was 40.22 ± 5.85 mm. The mean maximum mouth opening in 3 to 5 years age group was 33.19 ± 4.24 mm, 6 to 8 years age group was 37.92 ± 4.34 mm, 9 to 11 years age group was 43.47 ± 4.73 mm, and 12 to 14 years age group was 45.30 ± 3.99 mm. Mouth opening differences among differ­ent gender was compared which showed male had wider mouth opening but the difference was not statistically significant.

Conclusions: The maximum mouth opening in boys was slightly large than girls. The base line data was achieved in our study which needs to be validated further by conducting study in larger population.