Usefulness of Hard Palate Measurements in Predicting Airway Dimensions in Patients Referred for Cone Beam CT

Mustafa Alkhader,Rashed Abbas,Mohammad S Alrashdan,Nour Abdo

doi:10.2174/1874210602115010505

Abstract

Purpose: The aim of the study was to evaluate the usefulness of hard palate measurements in predicting airway dimensions in patients referred for cone-beam CT (CBCT). Materials and Methods: Six hundred forty-three patients (239 males and 404 females) were examined by CBCT. Using dedicated CBCT software (Kodak CS 3D imaging version 3.8.6, Carestream, Rochester, NY, USA); different hard palate (palatal interalveolar length, palatal arch depth, maxillo-palatal arch angle, and alveolar width) and airway measurements (airway volume, minimum cross-sectional area, minimum anteroposterior distance, minimum right to left distance and airway length) were obtained and correlated using Pearson’s correlation coefficients and regression analysis. Results: Although the correlation between hard palate and airway measurements was weak (Pearson coefficient (r) < 0.40), there were significant (P < 0.05) additive effects for hard palate measurements in predicting airway dimensions. Maxillo-palatal arch angle was the only hard palate measurement that had no effect in predicting airway dimensions. Conclusion: Hard palate measurements are considered useful in predicting airway dimensions in patients referred for CBCT.

Highlights

Several studies have explored the possible correlation between oro-pharyngeal measurements and craniofacial structures in different populations and in particular in subjects with sleep disorders [1 - 3]
Obstructive Sleep Apnea (OSA) has been addressed in the literature, a complete understanding of the pathophysiology and Upper Airway (UAW) anatomic specifications is yet to be reached
This study included a total of 643 dental patients who were referred for conebeam CT (CBCT) (239 males and 404 females)

Summary

Introduction

Several studies have explored the possible correlation between oro-pharyngeal measurements and craniofacial structures in different populations and in particular in subjects with sleep disorders [1 - 3]. For this purpose, various modalities were utilized, including cephalometric radiographic measurements and magnetic resonance imaging [4 - 6]. Several oral features were proposed to be useful in predicting those patients at risk of having UAW abnormalities. These features include; maxillary constriction and shallow palate, mandibular retrognathia, tooth crowding, retroclination of the anterior teeth and posterior cross-bite [18]

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Conclusion