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CC BY 4.0 · European Journal of General Dentistry
DOI: 10.1055/s-0045-1804927
Original Article

A Study on the Association between Skeletal Malocclusion, Upper Airway Cross-Sectional Area, and Upper Airway Volume Using CBCT Scans

Yazan Mohamad Mahmoud
1   Department of Oral and Craniofacial Health Sciences, College of Dental Medicine, University of Sharjah, Sharjah, United Arab Emirates
,
A.B. Rani Samsudin 
1   Department of Oral and Craniofacial Health Sciences, College of Dental Medicine, University of Sharjah, Sharjah, United Arab Emirates
,
Saad Al-Bayatti
1   Department of Oral and Craniofacial Health Sciences, College of Dental Medicine, University of Sharjah, Sharjah, United Arab Emirates
,
Snigdha Pattanaik
2   Department of Orthodontics, Pediatric and Community Dentistry, College of Dental Medicine, University of Sharjah, Sharjah, United Arab Emirates
,
Kamis Gaballah
1   Department of Oral and Craniofacial Health Sciences, College of Dental Medicine, University of Sharjah, Sharjah, United Arab Emirates
,
Serene Badran
2   Department of Orthodontics, Pediatric and Community Dentistry, College of Dental Medicine, University of Sharjah, Sharjah, United Arab Emirates
3   Department of Pediatric Dentistry, Orthodontics and Preventive Dentistry, The University of Jordan, Jordan
,
Nisha Manila
4   College of Dental Medicine, California Northstate University, Sacramento, California, United States
,
Vinayak Kamath
5   Department of Public Health Dentistry, Goa Dental College and Hospital, Goa, India
,
Asok Mathew
6   Department of Clinical Science, Center for Medical and Bioallied Health Sciences Research, Ajman University, Ajman, United Arab Emirates
,
Shishir Ram Shetty 
1   Department of Oral and Craniofacial Health Sciences, College of Dental Medicine, University of Sharjah, Sharjah, United Arab Emirates
› Author Affiliations Funding None.
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Abstract

Objective The main aim of this study was to analyze the volume and area of the pharyngeal airway among different sagittal skeletal relationships. The secondary aim was to study the association between the upper airway volume and upper airway cross-sections among the three sagittal skeletal relationships.

Materials and Methods A retrospective study of 90 cone beam computed tomography (CBCT) scans of patients reporting for dental treatment to University Dental Hospital, Sharjah was conducted. Among the 90 CBCT scans, 30 scans were of patients with class I skeletal pattern, 30 with class II skeletal pattern, and 30 with class III skeletal pattern. The extract airway module of Romexis software 6.2.1 was used for segmentation of the upper airway. The maximum cross-sectional area (MACA), minimum cross-sectional area (MICA), cross-sectional area at the level of the hard palate cross-sectional area (PCA), and cross-sectional area at the level of the epiglottis cross-sectional area (ECA) of the airway way and volume (Vol) were obtained.

Results There was a significant difference in the cross-sectional airway variables (MACA, MICA, ECA) and volume among patients with class I, II, and III skeletal malocclusion (p < 0.001). The PCA did not show any significant difference among the three study groups (p = 0.13).

Conclusion Patients with skeletal class II malocclusion had the lowest cross-sectional airway variables and volume values among all the study groups. The MICA of the airway was a reliable predictor for airway volume.

Keywords

pharynx - malocclusion - orthodontics - cone beam computed tomography - diagnostic Imaging


Publication History

Article published online:
19 March 2025

© 2025. The Author(s). This is an open access article published by Thieme under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License, permitting unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction so long as the original work is properly cited. (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/)

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