How a child's breathing problem can be misdiagnosed as ADHD

TThere are two conditions that may seem to have nothing in common: mouth breathing and Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD). Still, children who breathe through their mouths because of a dental problem can easily be misdiagnosed with ADHD, resulting in the life of powerful drugs.

Oral breathing is often caused by an obstruction of the nasal airways. More than half of people diagnosed with ADHD breathe through their mouths. This is too important a statistic to be a coincidence.

In the United States, anxiety disorders such as ADHD are the most prevalent mental illness affecting 40 million adults, according to the American Association for Anxiety and Depression. At the same time, ADHD is the most prevalent psychiatric disorder among children in Canada, according to the Center for ADHD Awareness, Canada. Conservative estimates suggest that 5% of Canadian children are affected and that the number of diagnoses has increased dramatically over the decades, along with the number of children undergoing medical treatment.

Breathing through the mouth can result in a lack of oxygen saturation in the brain. Oral respirators are more likely to have cerebral hypoxia or reduced oxygen supply to the brain. Children who breathe by mouth have a poor quality of sleep, which affects their mood, their ability to concentrate and their behavior at school. This can easily be confused for ADHD.

Other effects on children breathing through the mouth include:

* Snoring
* Grinding teeth
* nightmares
* Bedwetting
* School-related problems (due to lack of sleep and low oxygen in the brain, they may seem lazy, have difficulty concentrating, etc.)

All diagnosed cases of ADHD can not be eradicated by solving the problems of breathing through the mouth. However, parents of children who breathe in the mouth and who have been diagnosed with ADHD should seek the advice of a dentist or orthodontist before accepting the diagnosis. ADHD label, which means that their children will take powerful medications, such as Ritalin or Adderall.

Dr. Ami Barakat, author of Perfecting Smileas, Changing Lives, is a general dentist with extensive training in orthodontics. He has received several prestigious awards in recognition of his talent, accomplishments and passion for dentistry. He graduated with honors from the faculty of dentistry at the University of Toronto and completed a one-year residency at the Royal Victoria Hospital in Montreal. <! – ->