Pharyngeal airway increases with LARS treatment for retrognathia.

OBJECTIVE

To assess the lower pharyngeal airway sagittal width on lateral cephalograms before and after the use of a mandibular advancement device (MAD) on Class II patients and to compare the results to a control group of non-treated Class II individuals.

METHODS

All patients were Class II, ranging in age from 9 to 12 years. They were all treated with a MAD, referred to as a ligated anterior repositioning splint, which was fixed in the mouth for full-time wear. Measurements of the lower pharyngeal airway were made on before- and after-treatment cephalograms. A control group of Class II patients of similar age were selected from several growth studies, and comparisons were made.

RESULTS

A significant increase (p < .01) resulted from the treatment group; there was no change from the controls.

CONCLUSION

These findings support the effectiveness of a MAD to increase the lower pharyngeal airway in growing Class II patients.