Pharyngeal airway spaces in different skeletal malocclusions: a CBCT 3D assessment

ABSTRACT

Objective: To three-dimensionally evaluate the upper pharyngeal airway spaces in adults with different anteroposterior and vertical skeletal malocclusions.

Methods: In this retrospective study, three-dimensional airway volume and the minimum constricted areas of 120 adults were measured from cone beam computed tomography volume scans. The sample was divided into skeletal Class I and Class II and subdivided into average and long face malocclusions in each skeletal Class. Airway volumes of the naso-, palato-, and glossopharynx, and the minimum constricted area were measured and compared.

Results: Skeletal Class II reduced glossopharyngeal airway volume and larger total minimum constricted area in average faces and more nasal minimum constricted area in long faces. Skeletal Class II with long face significantly increased palatopharyngeal and glossopharyngeal airway volumes as well as larger palatopharyngeal minimum constricted area (p < 0.05).

Conclusion: This paper found a likely association between jaw skeletal classification and airway dimensions.

KEYWORDS:

• Pharyngeal airways
• skeletal malocclusions
• CBCT
• airway volume
• minimum constricted area

Conflict of interest

The authors report no conflicts of interest.

Human rights statement and informed consent

All procedures followed were in accordance with the ethical standards of the responsible committee on human experimentation (institutional and national) and with the Helsinki Declaration of 1964 and later versions.

Correction Statement

This article has been republished with minor changes. These changes do not impact the academic content of the article.

Color versions of one or more of the figures in the article can be found online at www.tandfonline.com/ycra.

Additional information

Funding

This study did not receive any external funding.