Gross - Pediatric Airway Health: The Importance of Myofunctional, ENT, and Dental Collaboration-Gross

Video Transcription

Video Summary

Anna Gross, a board-certified pediatric speech-language pathologist in Los Angeles, presents on pediatric airway health from a myofunctional ENT and dental perspective. She explains how oropharyngeal myofunctional disorders (OMDs)—dysfunction of the lips, jaw, tongue, and oropharynx—disrupt normal growth and function, often beginning early and worsening when missed during critical developmental periods. She emphasizes “form follows function”: chronic mouth breathing, low tongue resting posture, and tongue-thrust swallowing can drive high/narrow palates, malocclusion, facial growth changes, bruxism, sleep-disordered breathing, feeding difficulty, speech distortions (especially lisps), and even posture problems across the lifespan. Correcting structure alone (e.g., tonsil/adenoid removal or palatal expansion) does not automatically normalize function, making myofunctional therapy important for stability and relapse prevention.<br /><br />Gross outlines what optimal breathing, resting posture, chewing, and swallowing look like (lips closed without strain, tongue suctioned to the palate, minimal facial compensation during swallow). She shares clinical screening signs dentists can spot, including saliva “slurping,” drooling, lip irritation, hypotonic facial tone, mentalis overactivation during swallow, and tongue thrust visible with cheek retractors. Research cited links mouth breathing with narrower arches, crossbites, open bites, altered mandibular rotation, and sleep issues; studies also suggest myofunctional therapy can reduce bruxism and orthodontic relapse.<br /><br />She advocates multidisciplinary care (dentists/orthodontists, ENTs, allergists, SLPs/OTs/PTs, bodyworkers) and offers practical tools and referrals, including online programs, MyoMunchie use, and a Facebook-based interdisciplinary study group with a research library to help clinicians build effective teams.

Keywords

Anna Gross

pediatric speech-language pathologist

pediatric airway health

oropharyngeal myofunctional disorders (OMDs)

mouth breathing

low tongue resting posture

tongue-thrust swallowing

high narrow palate

malocclusion

sleep-disordered breathing

myofunctional therapy

orthodontic relapse prevention

multidisciplinary care