Obstructive sleep apnea and anatomical structures of the nasomaxillary complex in adolescents

Abstract

The aim of the present study was to reveal the associations between skeletal and soft tissue features of the nasomaxillary complex and development and severity of obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) in adolescents. A total of 100 adolescents (mean age, 14.9 +/- 1.4 years; age range, 13-17 years) were enrolled. All participants underwent full-night polysomnography and had an assessment of size and position of the tongue, tonsillar size, body mass index (BMI), and circumference of the waist, neck, and hip. The skeletal features of the nasomaxillary complex, including the zygomatic arch width, nasal cavity width, nasal base width, intercanine width, intermolar width, maxillary dental arch length, palatal vault angle, palatal depth, and SNA were measured on the three-dimensional images constructed with computed tomography data. Participants with an apnea and hypopnea index (AHI) of lower than 5 (AHI