Maxillary morphology in obstructive sleep apnoea syndrome.

Area of Science:

• Dentistry
• Sleep Medicine
• Anthropology

Background:

• Obstructive sleep apnoea (OSA) is a prevalent condition linked to various health issues.
• Maxillary morphology may play a role in the development or severity of OSA.
• Understanding craniofacial differences can inform diagnosis and treatment strategies.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate differences in maxillary morphology between patients with OSA and non-snoring controls.
• To test the hypothesis that maxillary dimensions and shape vary in OSA patients.

Main Methods:

• A case-control study comparing 40 OSA patients with 21 healthy controls.
• Intra-oral assessment for posterior transverse discrepancies.
• Dental model measurements of maxillary arch dimensions (inter-canine, inter-premolar, inter-molar distances).
• Cephalometric analysis of maxillary-to-mandibular and maxillary-to-facial width ratios.

Main Results:

• OSA patients showed a significantly higher prevalence of posterior transverse discrepancies (50% vs 5%).
• Reduced maxillary inter-canine, inter-premolar, and inter-molar distances were observed in OSA patients.
• OSA patients had shorter maxillary depth and greater arch tapering, indicated by polynomial analysis.
• Smaller maxillary-to-mandibular and maxillary-to-facial width ratios were found in OSA patients.

Conclusions:

• OSA patients present with narrower, more tapered, and shorter maxillary arches compared to controls.
• These morphological differences may contribute to the pathophysiology of obstructive sleep apnoea.
• Further research is needed to elucidate the precise role of maxillary morphology in OSA.