Craniofacial Morphology Related to Obstructive Sleep Apnea: Growth of Craniofacial Bones and the Upper Airway

2021 
As upper airway is located below the skull base and behind the face, the growth and developmental changes of craniofacial structures will affect the development of the upper airway and respiratory function. Although craniofacial morphometric diversity is controlled primarily by genetics, it is highly influenced by environmental factors such as head, jaw, and tongue posture and neuromuscular function. It is important to firstly understand the normal growth pattern of cranial base, nasomaxillary complex, mandible, and hyoid affecting the normal development of upper airway in healthy children which varies from year to year. It is still difficult to clarify the cause-and-effect relationship between the craniofacial deformation and abnormal upper airway development; however, it is important to know that further abnormal development of craniofacial structures by delayed growth modification treatment may induce upper airway constriction and secondary development of sleep-disordered breathing. Considering that inherent craniofacial growth might be altered by functional problems of respiratory obstruction, inversely, timely intervention to treat pediatric snoring and obstructive sleep apnea, such as adenotonsillectomy and nasal allergic treatment, should be considered to prevent irreversible craniofacial alteration.
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