Mewing as a possible cause of salivary gland cysts

Introduction The English term ’mewing’ refers to an orthotropic facial exercise designed to prevent malocclusion. The constant pressure of the tongue against the palate is intended to widen the jaw and thus improve the position of the teeth. Mewing gained popularity especially among young people who hope that it would give them a more defined jawline in accordance with their ideal of beauty.

Case Report A 16-year-old male patient introduced himself with a slowly progressive indolent swelling submental right for about three months. The patient suffered from dysmorphophobia, in the context of which he was increasingly dissatisfied with his facial aesthetics and therefore practiced mewing for several hours daily.

Results ENT examination revealed a level Ib prallel elastic indolent swelling that was sonographically cystic and measured 45x20x23mm. Performing the mewing exercise resulted in an increase in the size of the cyst. It was located nearby the Gl. submandibularis as well as the moderately dilated Wharton duct and communicated with the Gl. sublingualis. The cyst and GL. sl. were surgically removed and the wharton duct reconstructed. The pathological findings showed no abnormalities, and the postoperative course was regular. The patient is under child psychiatric treatment.

Conclusion The presumed association between the development of the cyst and excessive mewing remains unproven, but seems possible because of the increase in intraglandular pressure during performance of the exercise. To our knowledge, this is the first case report of salivary gland dysfunction associated with excessive mewing.

Conflict of Interest

The authors declare that they have no conflict of interest.

Publication History

Article published online:
12 May 2023