Author :
Anjali Jaiswal, Ashish Gupta, Gaurav Sharma, Manish Bishnoi, Ankita Jaiswal
Volume :
6
Issue :
2
Abstract :
Introduction: The pharynx is a tube shaped structure that extends superoinferiorly from the cranial base
to the level of the inferior surface of the sixth cervical vertebra. A nasal breather may change to a mouth
breather because of an obstruction in the nasal or pharyngeal airway. In addition, pharyngeal narrowing is
a commonly described characteristic in obstructive sleep apnea/hypopnea syndrome (OSAHS) patients.
Aim: The aim of this study is to investigate whether the upper and lower airway dimensions are affected
by the sagittal and vertical skeletal variables.
Materials and Methods: The pre-treatment lateral cephalograms of 140 patients aged between 16years
to 26 years were traced for the study. For each subject angular and linear cephalometric parameters
were measured. Continuous variables were compared by one-way analysis of variance (ANOVA) and the
significance of mean difference between the groups was done by Tukey’s post hoc test. A two-sided (a =
2) P < 0> Conclusion: in this study, we found a significant difference among Class I subjects with three different
vertical growth pattern. Hyperdivergent patients had statistically significant narrower upper and lower
pharyngeal width when compared to normodivergent and hypodivergent growth patterns. Patients with
Class II malocclusions have significantly narrower upper and lower pharyngeal airways than those with
Class I and Class III malocclusions.
Keyword :
Airway dimension, Vertical, Sagittal.