Effect of orthodontic treatment on pharyngeal airway and adjacent soft tissues: A lateral cephalogram-based retrospective study

Background: There is inconsistent data on the effect of fixed orthodontic treatment on the pharyngeal airway dimensions. Aim: The present study aimed to evaluate the effect of orthodontic treatment on airway. Methods: Fifty patients who completed their fixed orthodontic treatment were selected for the study. Pre- and post-treatment lateral cephalograms were collected. The airway parameters studied were Superior Posterior Airway Space, Middle Airway Space, Inferior Airway Space, and Vertical Airway Length, while the soft tissues analysed were the height of the tongue, length of the tongue, thickness of soft palate, and length of the soft palate. The measurements of these parameters were done on all the cephalograms and were tabulated and statistically analysed. Results: There was a significant decrease in the middle airway space in the non-extraction group, while the remaining parameters did not show any significant variation. In the extraction group, there was no significant variation in any of the parameters analysed. Conclusion: There was a significant reduction in the middle airway space, while no significant variation in the upper, lower airway, and vertical airway length in non-extraction cases after the orthodontic treatment. None of the airway parameters and adjacent soft tissues showed any significant variation post-orthodontic treatment in extraction cases.