Pharyngeal airway changes after sagittal split ramus osteotomy of the mandible: a comparison between genders.
OBJECTIVE
To investigate the difference in the pharyngeal airway after sagittal split ramus osteotomy (SSRO) procedures between male and female patients with Class III malocclusion.


METHODS
In the present study, 30 male and 47 female Korean patients were studied. All were diagnosed with Class III malocclusion and had undergone SSRO treatment. The pharyngeal airway was measured at 3 different levels: uvula tip, low C2, and mid-C3 of the lateral cephalograms. It was measured during 3 periods preoperatively and also during the second and twelfth month postoperatively. The changes in the pharyngeal airway were compared between the male and female patients.


RESULTS
The size of the pharyngeal airway preoperatively was approximately the same in both genders. In contrast, after the SSRO procedure, the pharyngeal airway became narrow when measured at all 3 levels, without any significant difference in either group. However, the degree of narrowness, which is correlated with the distance of mandibular setback, was only found in female patients.


CONCLUSIONS
After the SSRO procedure, the pharyngeal airway became narrow in both genders. However, the degree of narrowness, which is proportionate to the distance of the mandibular setback, only occurred in the female patients.
Department of Dentistry, College of Medicine, Konkuk University, Seoul, Korea.
Jae-Seung
JS
Kim
Jin Kook
JK
Kim
Seok-Chan
SC
Hong
Jae Hoon
JH
Cho
D000328:Adult; D002508:Cephalometry; D002574:Cervical Vertebrae; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008313:Malocclusion, Angle Class III / Q000601:surgery*; D008334:Mandible / Q000601:surgery*; D056948:Orthognathic Surgical Procedures; D010027:Osteotomy; D010614:Pharynx / Q000033:anatomy & histology*; D011184:Postoperative Period; D057234:Preoperative Period; D012123:Pulmonary Ventilation; D012737:Sex Factors; D018709:Statistics, Nonparametric; D014609:Uvula; D055815:Young Adult