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Digital cephalometric analysis of pharyngeal airway space changes in oral submucous fibrosis patients: A cross sectional observational study

Background: Oral submucous fibrosis (OSMF) causes changes over the pharynx that may cause changes in airway dimensions. Cephalometry could be a reliable diagnostic tool for evaluation of the changes happening in the pharyngeal structures, so that preventive measures such as areca nut habit cessation could be initiated at an earlier stage. Aim: To test pharyngeal changes and airway dimensions in OSMF patients using digital lateral cephalograms. Setting and Design: This was a crossectional observational study done in the Department of Oral Medicine and Radiology. Material and Method: Twenty-two subjects with clinically diagnosed OSMF formed the study group A, and 30 healthy subjects formed the control group B. OSMF subjects were further divided into stage I, II, III according to Nagesh And Bailoor (1993) criteria. We tested all study subjects for velopharyngeal and upper airway dimensions as measured on Digital Lateral Cephalographs using Sirona Sidexis software. The findings were compiled to arrive at data in the study population. Result: Statistically significant difference was observed for mouth opening tongue between different stages of OSMF (p = 0.000) and significant difference was also observed for hyoid position to vertical, AH-FH (p = 0.023), tongue length (VT) (p = 0.002), mid airway width (p = 0.031), soft palate width (p = 0.012) between the groups. Conclusion: There was a significant change in the pharyngeal airway with the advancing stage of OSMF. Lateral cephalometric radiographs are a useful, non-invasive diagnostic tool to analyze pharyngeal airway changes in OSMF patient's to prevent the development of complications associated with advanced stages.