Effect of experimental nasal obstruction on growth of alveolar arch

Sixty 4-week-old New Zealand albino rabbits, obtained as 20 sets of littermates, were divided into three groups such that one rabbit from each litter appeared in each group. After radiological measurements of cranial dimensions, all animals underwent nasal electrocauterization. Group 1 underwent cauterization but no nasal obstruction was created. Cauterization was done to produce unilateral obstruction in group 2 and bilateral obstruction in group 3. After growth had ceased, the prepared skull of the mature animal was measured to assess the alveolar and cranial dimensions. The alveolar arch in the animals with bilateral obstruction was significantly narrower and shorter than in the control rabbits and in those with unilateral obstruction, but there was no significant difference in the palatal height among the three groups.