title: CHANGES IN ORO-PHARYNGEAL AIRWAY DIMENSIONS AFTER TREATMENT WITH FUNCTIONAL APPLIANCE IN CLASS II SKELETAL PATTERN.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Functional appliances have been used since many decades for the correction of mandibular retrognathism. Similar oral appliances are a treatment modality for patients with Obstructive sleep apnoea. Hence, interception at the right age with these growth modification appliances might benefit a child from developing long-term respiratory insufficiency. Therefore, the purpose of our study was to assess the short-term effects of Twin block appliance (CTB) on pharyngeal airway size in subjects with skeletal Class-II pattern in a sample of Pakistani population.
  
  
  METHODS
  A retrospective study was conducted from orthodontic records of 62 children (31 males, 31 females) with retrognathic mandibles using lateral cephalograms obtained at initial visit and after CTB treatment. Paired t-test was used to compare the pre-functional and post-functional treatment airway size. Independent sample t-test was used for comparison between the genders and statistical significance was kept at ≤ 00.5.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The upper airway width (p < 0.001), nasopharyngeal depth (p = 0.03) and upper airway thickness (p = 0.008) was substantially improved after CTB treatment. Males showed a greater increase in upper airway width (p = 0.03) and nasopharyngeal depth (p = 0.01) in comparison to the females.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Functional appliance therapy can improve the narrow pharyngeal airway of growing children presenting with deficient mandibles having Class-II skeletal pattern.
authors.forename: Batool
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Ali
authors.forename: Attiya
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Shaikh
authors.forename: Mubassar
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Fida
mesh_terms: D002508:Cephalometry / Q000379:methods*; D002648:Child; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008312:Malocclusion, Angle Class II / Q000628:therapy*; D008334:Mandible / Q000254:growth & development; D010614:Pharynx / Q000033:anatomy & histology*; D012189:Retrospective Studies