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CC BY-NC-ND 4.0 · Asian J Neurosurg 2022; 17(01): 038-042
DOI: 10.1055/s-0042-1750511
Original Article

Linear Cephalometric Analysis of Pharynx at the Level of Epiglottis among Snorers and Nonsnorers: A Cross-Sectional Study

Ravi Rathod
1   Department of Orthodontics and Dentofacial Orthopaedics, Meghna Institute of Dental Sciences, Nizamabad, Telangana, India
,
Vimal Joseph Devadoss
2   Department of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery, Rajas Dental College and Hospital, Tirunelveli, Tamil Nadu, India
,
Baliram Jadav
1   Department of Orthodontics and Dentofacial Orthopaedics, Meghna Institute of Dental Sciences, Nizamabad, Telangana, India
,
Reshmi Leila Ninan
3   Department of Orthodontics and Dentofacial Orthopaedics, CSI College of Dental Sciences and Research, Madurai, Tamil Nadu, India
,
B. Kanagasabapathy
3   Department of Orthodontics and Dentofacial Orthopaedics, CSI College of Dental Sciences and Research, Madurai, Tamil Nadu, India
,
A.R. Ramshad
4   Consultant Orthodontist, Kollam, Kerala, India
,
J. Suresh Babu
5   Division of Periodontology, Department of Preventive Dental Sciences, College of Dentistry, University of Ha'il, Ha'il, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia
,
C. Swarnalatha
5   Division of Periodontology, Department of Preventive Dental Sciences, College of Dentistry, University of Ha'il, Ha'il, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia
,
Abhishek Singh Nayyar
6   Department of Oral Medicine and Radiology, Saraswati-Dhanwantari Dental College and Hospital and Post Graduate Research Institute, Parbhani, Maharashtra, India
› Author Affiliations Funding None.
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Abstract

Aim Snoring, which falls within the spectrum of sleep-related breathing disorders, is considered to be one of the common symptoms of airway obstruction. Lateral cephalometric analysis is an effective way of diagnosing airway obstruction by evaluating skeletal and soft tissue abnormalities in patients with sleep-disordered breathing (SDB). The present study was planned to analyze the pharyngeal space among snorers and nonsnorers in the retroglossal region and in the region of hypopharynx at the level of epiglottis.

Materials and Methods The present cross-sectional study included a total of 60 individuals who were grouped into snorers and nonsnorers based on their answers for the study questionnaire related to snoring. Digital lateral cephalograms were taken for all maintaining the exposure parameters while Digora software was used for measurements related to the soft tissue parameters. The two significant soft tissue parameters analyzed were the distance of epiglottis from the tip of the soft palate, the retroglossal length, and the distance of posterior pharynx from the tip of the epiglottis, the pharyngeal space.

Statistical Analysis The statistical analysis was done using Statistical Package for Social Sciences (SPSS) version 17.0 (SPSS Inc., Chicago, Illinois, United States) while paired t-test was used for intergroup analysis. A p-value of < 0.05 was considered statistically significant.

Results The mean retroglossal length was found to be 25.52 mm among the snorers and 23.70 mm among the nonsnorers. In case of pharyngeal space, a mean of 8.54 mm was recorded among the snorers whereas among the nonsnorers, the respective mean value of 10.16 mm was observed.

Conclusion In the present study, pharyngeal space was found to be less at the level of the tip of epiglottis among the snorers compared with nonsnorers which can be attributed to be one of the significant reasons behind snoring and obstructive sleep apnea syndrome.

Keywords

cephalometric analysis - pharynx - epiglottis - epiglottis closure - snorers - sleep endoscopy

Authors' Contributions

All authors contributed to the concepts, design, definition of intellectual content, literature research, clinical studies, experimental studies, data acquisition, data analysis, statistical analysis, manuscript preparation, manuscript editing, and manuscript review. All authors are the guarantors for this paper.




Publication History

Article published online:
01 June 2022

© 2022. Asian Congress of Neurological Surgeons. This is an open access article published by Thieme under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution-NonDerivative-NonCommercial License, permitting copying and reproduction so long as the original work is given appropriate credit. Contents may not be used for commercial purposes, or adapted, remixed, transformed or built upon. (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/)

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