Correlation Between Airway And Cranio-Maxillo-Facial Structure In Adolescents

This study aims to explore the correlation between the upper airway widths and craniofacial skeletal structure characteristics of adolescents with vertical growth pattern and therefore to provide guidance for comprehensive assessment before clinical orthodontic treatment. Select 60 cases of lateral cephalograms before orthodontic treatment of local 10-15-year-old adolescents in year of 2005 and 2020 with vertical growth type, use AI cephalometric system to compare upper airway widths and adenoid thickness/nasopharyngeal width (A/N) between the two groups and analyze the correlation between upper airway width and cranio-maxillo-facial skeletal structure characteristics of vertical growth patterns in 2020 group. The nasopharyngeal upper airway width of adolescents with vertical growth pattern in 2020 group was significantly smaller than in 2005 group, whereas the A/N value was significantly greater. In 2020 group, the nasopharyngeal airway width had a significant negative correlation with the mandibular plane angle, articular angle, lower gonial angle and Jarabak sum, whereas a significant positive correlation with mandibular ramus height, posterior height and posterior-anterior height ratio in the adenoid hypertrophy group compared with the normal. There is a certain correlation between the narrowing nasopharyngeal airway caused by adenoid hypertrophy in adolescents and a series of abnormal craniofacial skeletal structure characteristics appeared in vertical growth pattern, including enlarged ANB angle, mandibular plane angle, gonial angel and shorter mandibular ramus height, decreased posterior-anterior height ratio, the trend of clock wised rotation of the mandible, and the vertical growth of the lower 1/3 face.