Obstructive sleep apnoea: a cephalometric study. Part I. Cervico-craniofacial skeletal morphology

SUMMARY A comprehensive cephalometric analysis of cervico-craniofacial skeletal morphology in 100 male patients with obstructive sleep apnoea (OSA) and 36 male controls was performed. The significant aberrations in the OSA group feature: shorter dimension of cranial base with slight counter-clockwise rotation and depression of clivus; shorter maxillary length with normal height; maxillo-mandibular retrognathia related to nasion perpendicular plane (N⊥FH) despite normal angles of prognathism; 47 per cent of the OSA group had mandibular retrognathia; increased anterior lower facial height and mandibular plane angle; reduced size of bony pharynx; inferiorly positioned hyoid bone at C4–C6 level; deviated head posture with larger cranio-cervical angle. Cephalometric analysis is highly recommended in OSA patients as one of the most important tools in diagnosis and treatment planning.