Posture of the head, the hyoid bone, and the tongue in children with and without enlarged tonsils.

The purpose of this investigation was to analyse whether there were any differences between children with and without enlarged tonsils with regard to the posture of the head, the hyoid bone, and the tongue. Twenty-two children with enlarged tonsils were compared with a matched normal control group. Of the children in the tonsil group, 59 per cent were mouth-breathers during the day and 82 per cent during the night. None of the control children was a mouth-breather. The results showed that, compared with the control children, children with enlarged tonsils had an extended posture of the head, a lowered position of the hyoid bone, and an antero-inferior posture of the tongue. The vertical position of the hyoid bone also reflected the vertical position of the tongue. The antero-posterior position of the tongue was closely related to the oro-pharyngeal depth. The postural pattern in children with enlarged tonsils appears to be associated with the need for maintenance of free oro-pharyngeal airway capacity.