AIRWAY DIMENSIONS, CRANIOFACIAL PATTERN, AND ORTHODONTIC INTERVENTION IN GROWING SAUDI PATIENTS: A DENTOFACIAL ORTHOPAEDIC PERSPECTIVE
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.18623/rvd.v23.6607Palabras clave:
Airway Dimensions, Craniofacial Pattern, Saudi Children, Dentofacial Orthopaedics, Maxillary Expansion, Functional Appliance, CBCTResumen
Airway assessment has become an important adjunct to orthodontic diagnosis in growing patients because transverse maxillary deficiency, mandibular retrognathia, vertical facial excess, and chronic mouth breathing may coexist with restricted nasal or pharyngeal dimensions. This review examines how airway dimensions, craniofacial pattern, and dentofacial orthopaedic intervention should be interpreted for Saudi children and adolescents. A structured evidence review was designed around three questions: which craniofacial patterns are most consistently associated with airway vulnerability; which orthodontic or orthopaedic interventions show favourable airway change; and how these findings can be translated into referral pathways suitable for Saudi practice. Literature from 2020 to 2025 was considered, with priority given to studies using cone-beam computed tomography, validated sleep or symptom questionnaires, growing samples, and clearly defined intervention groups. The synthesis indicates that maxillary expansion usually improves nasal or nasopharyngeal volume, mandibular advancement therapy may enlarge the oropharyngeal region in selected Class II patients, and maxillary protraction may benefit some Class III cases. However, airway volume alone cannot diagnose sleep-disordered breathing, and treatment should not be presented as a stand-alone respiratory cure. For Saudi patients, the most defensible model is integrated screening: history, clinical pattern recognition, justified imaging, risk stratification, and referral to paediatric, otolaryngology, or sleep-medicine services when symptoms exceed the orthodontic scope. The review concludes that airway-aware orthodontics is clinically valuable when it remains growth-sensitive, evidence-based, and multidisciplinary.
Citas
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