title: Evaluation of the oropharynx in class I and II skeletal patterns by CBCT.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  This study aimed to evaluate the dimensions of the oropharynx and its shape in the minimum cross-sectional area, in individuals with Class I and Class II skeletal patterns, using three-dimensional CBCT images.
  
  
  METHODS
  Forty-two cone-beam computed tomography images of grown individuals were evaluated. The images were divided according to the patient's skeletal patterns. The dimensions of the oropharyngeal airway space were determined using the Dolphin Imaging software.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The volume and the minimum cross-sectional area were greater in patients with a Class I skeletal pattern, with a median difference of 5379 mm3and 86.8 mm2, respectively. The anteroposterior and lateral diameters in the minimum cross-sectional area were also higher in Class I individuals (2.3 and 6.0 mm, respectively), but the ratio between them was not different.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The volume and the minimum cross-sectional area of the oropharynx, as well as the anteroposterior and lateral diameters, are lower in individuals with a class II skeletal pattern than in individuals with a class I skeletal pattern. There was no difference in the shape of the oropharynx in healthy individuals with different skeletal patterns.
authors.affiliation: Universidade Federal da Bahia, Salvador, Brazil. cabralmilena@hotmail.com.
authors.forename: Milena
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Cabral
authors.affiliation: Universidade Federal da Bahia, Salvador, Brazil.
authors.forename: Leila Ribeiro Brito
authors.initials: LR
authors.lastname: de Queiroz Ribeiro
authors.affiliation: Universidade Federal da Bahia, Salvador, Brazil.
authors.forename: Carlos Maurício
authors.initials: CM
authors.lastname: Cardeal
authors.affiliation: Universidade Federal da Bahia, Salvador, Brazil.
authors.forename: Marcos Alan Vieira
authors.initials: MA
authors.lastname: Bittencourt
authors.affiliation: Universidade Federal da Bahia, Salvador, Brazil.
authors.forename: Iêda Margarida
authors.initials: IM
authors.lastname: Crusoé-Rebello
authors.affiliation: Universidade Federal da Bahia, Salvador, Brazil.
authors.forename: Adelmir
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Souza-Machado
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D054893:Cone-Beam Computed Tomography; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D021621:Imaging, Three-Dimensional; D008297:Male; D009960:Oropharynx / Q000033:anatomy & histology / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging*; D012016:Reference Values
keywords: Cone-beam computed tomography; Craniofacial abnormalities; Oropharynx; Three-dimensional image