How palatine tonsil grades shape the architecture of dental arches: a cross-sectional study

This study aims to investigate the influence of palatine tonsil size on dental arch parameters and identify potential orthodontic anomalies.

82 participants between ages of 6-12 who applied to the Otorhinolaryngology Clinic of the Department of Medicine at Istanbul University were divided into 5 subgroups based on their tonsil size using the Brodsky's tonsil grading scale. After measuring the casts using an electronic caliper, dental arch measurements were made. Quantitative variables was assessed by the Spearman's rank correlation coefficient. The SPSS v.22.0 software was used. The significance threshold was set at p < 0.05.

82 patients as 43 boys (52.4%) and 39 girls (47.6%) aged between 6 and 12 years old with a mean age of 8.0 ± 1.8 years were included in this study. The maxillary intercanine (r=-0.530), inter-first premolar (r =-0.559), and inter-first molar widths (r =-0.579) were significantly and negatively correlated to the grade (p < 0.001). There was significant relationship between the tonsil grade and the age (r = 0.272, p = 0.013).

Early assessment of palatine tonsil size may help prevent orthodontic abnormalities arising from upper airway obstruction. It is necessary for dentists to conduct a thorough evaluation in children exhibiting respiratory alterations, thereby reduce the risk of potential orthodontic abnormalities.