Relationship between head posture and hyoid position in adult females and males

Abstract

The aim of this study was to investigate head posture and hyoid bone position using cephalometric radiographs of adults. The material consisted of 76 cephalometric films (38 each male/female) taken at the natural head posture. The individuals were over 18 years of age, had parents of Turkish origin, an acceptable face structure, ideal dental occlusion, and an ANB angle of 1-5 degrees; the dentitions were complete except the third molars and there were no visual, hearing, breathing or swallowing disorders. In addition, the subjects had not undergone orthodontic treatment or orthognathic surgery, had no burns, injuries, or scars in the head and neck regions. In order to determine the natural head position, the subjects were asked to stand in a relaxed manner (the self-balance position), and this position was transferred to the cephalostat by means of a fluid level device. The differences among sexes were investigated by means of Student's t-test, carried out using SPSS (Windows 7.5). It was found that there were no sex variations in head position. The linear measurements regarding the position of hyoid bone showed statistically significant differences with respect to sex. However, hyoid bone position was higher and more posterior in females, while natural head position was not affected by sex.