Three-dimensional evaluation of pharyngeal airway and maxillary arch in mouth and nasal breathing children with skeletal Class I and II

Abstract Objective This study aimed to investigate whether the subjects with mouth breathing (MB) or nasal breathing (NB) with different sagittal skeletal patterns showed different maxillary arch and pharyngeal airway characteristics. Methods Cone-beam computed tomography scans from 70 children aged 10 to 12 years with sagittal skeletal Classes I and II were used to measure the pharyngeal airway, maxillary width, palatal area, and height. The independent t-test and the Mann–Whitney U test were used for the intragroup analysis of pharyngeal airway and maxillary arch parameters. Results In the Skeletal Class I group, nasopharyngeal airway volume (P