Evaluation of the influence of facial growth on the sizes of nasopharyngeal and oropharyngeal spaces

Aline Maria Alencar de CASTRO, Maria Helena Ferreira VASCONCELOS

Introduction: The variation in sizes of the nasopharyngeal and oropharyngeal space occurs due to genetic and/or environmental factors. The reduction in size of the nasopharyngeal space, caused by the hypertrophy of the pharyngeal tonsil, have been associated to alterations in facial growth pattern and to harmful effects in occlusion. Aim: To evaluate variations in size of the nasopharyngeal and oropharyngeal space according to facial growth pattern, to correlate the size of these spaces to the VERT index and to verify a possible sexual dimorphism. Methods: A total of 90 lateral cephalometric radiographs of patients, divided into three groups (mesofacial, dolichofacial and brachyfacial, determined by the VERT index) were used. The patients of the sample, with ages between 9 and 16 years old, had a nasal respiratory mode, without any kind of nasal obstruction. Results: The results did not show statistically signiicant variation in the size of nasopharyngeal and oropharyngeal, when compared the three facial growth pattern. Besides, there was no correlation between the size of the spaces and the VERT index and a sexual dimorphism was not observed. Conclusions: The conclusions discarded the inluence of facial type in the sizes of nasopharyngeal and oropharyngeal spaces.

Keywords: Nasopharyngeal space. Oropharyngeal space. Craniofacial growth. Ricketts VERT index.

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