Salivary Markers and Microbial Flora in Mouth Breathing Late Adolescents

Table 1

The primary item used for the ascertainment of mouth breathing.

Clinical examination
Item 1	Nasal breathing individuals have their lips lightly touched during the relaxed breathing hours, whereas mouth breathers keep the lips apart.
Item 2	A normal nose breathing individual will usually dilate nostrils while taking a deep breath. A mouth breathing individual when asked to close the lips and take a deep breath will appreciably not change the shape and size of the external nares and may occasionally contract nasal orifices while taking a deep breath. This is because the nasal breathers may normally demonstrate a good reflex control of alar muscles that control the external nares shape and size. Even the nasal breathers with the temporary nasal congestion may demonstrate the dilation of the nares and reflex alar contraction during voluntary inspiration.
Clinical tests
Mirror test	A cold mirror is placed under the subject’s nostrils and he or she is asked to inhale and exhale through the nose. If moisture condenses on the mirror, this demonstrates that the patient has successfully exhaled through the nares.
Nares reflex	The nares reflex test shows whether or not the nose is functioning normally. While the subject’s mouth is closed, the operator pinches the patient’s nostrils for 2 seconds and then releases them: the alae of the nose should “flutter” in nasal breathers.