title: Orofacial airway dimensions in subjects with Class I malocclusion and different growth patterns.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To test the null hypotheses that there are no significant differences in craniofacial structures and orofacial airway dimensions in subjects with Class I malocclusion and different growth patterns.
  
  
  METHODS
  Lateral cephalometric radiographs of 31 low angle (mean age, 14.0 ± 2.0 years; range, 10.3-16.5 years), 40 high angle (mean age, 12.7 ± 1.6 years; range, 10.1-16.2 years), and 33 normal growth (mean age, 13.9 ± 1.3 years; range, 11.2-16.8 years) subjects with Class I malocclusion were examined. In total, 34 measurements (27 craniofacial and 7 orofacial airways) were evaluated. Groups were constituted according to the SN-MP angle. Group differences were analyzed with analysis of variance (ANOVA) and the Tukey test, at the P < .05 level.
  
  
  RESULTS
  According to ANOVA, only 5 of the 27 craniofacial measurements showed no statistically significant differences among different growth patterns. For orofacial airway measurements, statistically significant differences were found in nasopharyngeal airway space (P < .01), palatal tongue space (P < .05), upper posterior airway space (PAS) (P < .05), and tongue gap (P < .001). No statistically significant orofacial airway differences were determined between low angle and normal growth subjects. High angle subjects had a larger tongue gap than those with normal and low angles (P < .01). Additionally, nasopharyngeal airway space (P < .01) and upper PAS (P < .05) measurements were larger and palatal tongue space (P < .05) was narrower in low angle than in high angle subjects.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The null hypotheses were rejected. Significant differences in craniofacial morphology and orofacial airway dimensions of Class I subjects with different growth patterns were identified.
authors.affiliation: Erciyes University, Faculty of Dentistry, Department of Orthodontics, Kayseri, Turkey.
authors.forename: Faruk Izzet
authors.initials: FI
authors.lastname: Ucar
authors.forename: Tancan
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Uysal
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000704:Analysis of Variance; D016022:Case-Control Studies; D002508:Cephalometry; D002648:Child; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D006801:Humans; D006928:Hyoid Bone / Q000033:anatomy & histology / Q000473:pathology; D008311:Malocclusion, Angle Class I / Q000473:pathology*; D008445:Maxillofacial Development; D009305:Nasopharynx / Q000033:anatomy & histology* / Q000473:pathology; D021362:Palate, Hard / Q000033:anatomy & histology / Q000473:pathology; D010160:Palate, Soft / Q000033:anatomy & histology / Q000473:pathology; D018709:Statistics, Nonparametric; D014059:Tongue / Q000033:anatomy & histology / Q000473:pathology; D014716:Vertical Dimension