A postero-anterior cephalometric evaluation of adult open bite subjects as related to normals

Reduced nasal airflow can be the result of enlarged adenoids, hypertrophic turbinates, severely deviated nasal septum, or even narrow nasal cavities. The question of whether the width of the nasal cavity may influence certain facial dimensions examined on the postero-anterior cephalometric X-ray was evaluated through the study of two different groups of subjects. Possible intercorrelations between some other frontal dimensions were also examined in these subjects. The first group consisted of 15 males and 22 females aged from 17 to 25 years diagnosed as having an anterior open bite of at least 2 mm. The second group consisted of 20 males and 16 females aged from 19 to 25 years with a normal Class I skeletal and dental pattern. Postero-anterior cephalometric X-rays were taken for all individuals and the following dimensions were measured: facial width, nasal width, maxillary width, mandibular width, nasal height, and lower facial height. Statistical analysis was performed for the primary linear measurements as well as for certain ratios. Nasal height and lower facial height were found to be significantly increased in both males and females of the open bite group. The ratios of nasal width to lower face height, as well as nasal width to nasal height, were found to differ significantly only between open bite and normal females, being higher in the latter group.