A cephalometric evaluation of the pharyngeal airway space in patients with mandibular retrognathia and prognathia, and normal subjects

The antero-posterior diameter of the pharyngeal airway space (PAS) at the level of the soft palate and base of the tongue was assessed in age-matched females with a normal mandible (n = 31), mandibular retrognathism (n = 30) or mandibular prognathism (n = 38). All subjects were examined by lateral cephalometry. Measured variables were corrected with the use of appropriate regression equations to eliminate the effects of head posture on the PAS. The corrected data showed more clear-cut differences in the PAS among the three groups than did the measured data. Pharyngeal airway diameter was largest in the group with mandibular prognathism, followed by the normal mandible and mandibular retrognathism groups. These results indicate that the antero-posterior dimension of the PAS is affected by different skeletal patterns of the mandible.