Airway and Orthodontics

Upper airway assessment and its interactions with craniofacial growth and development have been of interest to ENT specialists, laryngologists, speech therapists, paediatricians and orthodontists. Upper airway obstruction tends to alter breathing, which can have a significant impact on the normal development of craniofacial structures, causing deficiencies in transverse maxillary growth, as well as cause the rotational growth of the back of the mandible.The mutual interaction between the pharyngeal structures and the skeletal relationship of a patient is a subject of interest for the orthodontists and maxillofacial surgeon. The evaluation of soft tissues including facial contours, neuromuscular function, tongue, tonsil, adenoids and nasal polyps should be an integral part of orthodontic diagnosis and treatment planning.