Year : 2022

Volume : Volume 13

Issue : Issue 3

Address for correspondence :
: Dr. Shehare (Ghunawat)
namrataghunawat@gmail.com

Abstract

Background: Sleep apnea, and particularly obstructive sleep apnea (OSA), is a common disorder that is characterized by repetitive partial or complete cessation of airflow, associated with oxyhemoglobin desaturation and increased effort to breath. The present study aims to find the morphological variations of soft palate in OSA patients and its reliability as prediction factor in early diagnosis of OSA. Materials and Methods: A Prospective study was conducted on total of 60 lateral cephalographs. Out of which 30 were normal individuals and 30 were of OSA. Patients who complained of snoring, difficulty in breathing while sleeping, dyspnea were considered as OSA patients after performing polysomnography. Soft palates of all this were traced and compared for the shape variation. Results: The result of this study showed that crooked shape followed by rat tail was more frequent type among OSA patients. In normal individuals, Crooked was the most frequent shape of the soft palate followed by Leaf shape. Conclusion: There is a significant correlation between the variants of the soft palate and OSA.

Keywords: Lateral cephalograph, Obstructive sleep apnea, Orthodontics, Soft palate.