The influence of craniofacial morphology on the upper airway dimensions

Abstract

Objective: To evaluate the influence of craniofacial morphology on the upper airway dimensions in healthy adult subjects. Materials and Methods: The records of 276 healthy 17 - to 27-year-old patients were extracted from the cone-beam computed tomography image database of the Institute of Stomatology, Riga Stradins University. Dolphin 11.7 software was used to evaluate craniofacial anatomy and semiautomatic segmentation of the upper airway. Measurements of oropharyngeal airway volume (OPV), minimal cross-sectional area (CSAmin), and nasopharyngeal airway volume (NPV) were obtained. The presence of adenoid tissues was recorded. Associations between variables were analyzed by Spearman's correlation coefficients, and multivariate linear regression analysis was used to identify factors that had a possible influence on upper airway dimensions. Results: The following factors were identified as influencing the variability of NPV (23%): SNA angle, gender, and presence of adenoids. Statistically significant, although weak, correlations were found between SNB angle and OPV (r = 0.144, P <.05) and CSAmin (r = 0.182, P <.01). Conclusion: The results suggest that craniofacial morphology alone does not have a significant influence on upper airway dimensions.