Three-dimensional analysis of pharyngeal airway morphology in Japanese female adolescents

Abstract Purpose This cross-sectional study evaluated the three-dimensional craniofacial skeletal and pharyngeal airway morphology and the changes associated with skeletal maturation in Japanese female adolescents. Materials and methods The subjects were examined by cone-beam computed tomography and divided into two groups according to the stage of cervical vertebral maturation (adolescent group: 34 subjects, cervical stages 2 and 3, mean age 11.15 ± 0.86 years; and late-adolescent group: 27 subjects, cervical stages 4 and 5, mean age 14.23 ± 1.13 years). The size of the craniofacial skeleton and pharyngeal airway in each group were measured. Statistical differences between the two groups were determined using Student’s t -test. Pearson’s correlation coefficient was used to determine the relationships between the skeletal and pharyngeal variables in each group. Results The skeletal and pharyngeal airway parameters were significantly larger in the late-adolescent group than in the adolescent group. In the adolescent group, the anteroposterior position of the maxilla and mandible was significantly positively correlated with the volume of the nasopharyngeal airway ( P  0.05). The mandibular size was significantly positively correlated with the oropharyngeal length and volume ( P Conclusions The nature of the relationship between skeletal morphology and pharyngeal airway volume seems to change from adolescence to late adolescence.