Relationship Between Anterior Cranial Base Morphology and Airway Volume Measured on CBCT Scans: A Cross-Sectional Study

Abstract

Objective: To investigate the relationship between anterior cranial base morphology and pharyngeal airway dimensions, including total airway volume, compartmental volumes, and minimum cross-sectional area.
Study Design: A cross-sectional study.
Place and Duration of Study: This study was conducted in the Departments of Orthodontics and Oral & Maxillofacial Surgery at the Dental College, HITEC-IMS, Taxila, Pakistan, from January 2025 to January 2026.
Methods: We included 193 patients aged 8 to 18 years, selected through non-probability sequential sampling, who had available CBCT scans. Those with respiratory pathologies, craniofacial syndromes, or systemic illness were left out. 3D cephalometric landmarks were plotted using Planmeca Romexis software. ACBL was recorded as the Sella-Nasion distance; ACBI was the angle this line made with the true horizontal. Retropalatal and retroglossal airway volumes plus CSA min were then computed. Multiple linear regression and partial correlation analyses were applied, controlling for age and sex, with a significance threshold of P < 0.05.
Results: ACBI averaged 8.62 ± 2.65 degrees; ACBL, 65.60 ± 3.52 mm. Mean airway volume was 13,470.89 ± 4,259.86 mm³. The minimum cross-sectional area averaged 63.67 ± 33.06 mm². ACBL showed a weak positive correlation with total airway volume (r = 0.202, P = 0.006) as well as CSA min (r = 0.334, P < 0.001). No significant association emerged between ACBI and airway volume (r = 0.028, P = 0.69) or CSA min (r = 0.019, P = 0.796).
Conclusion: In this study, patients with longer ACBL had greater airway volumes and wider CSA min. whereas the tilt of the anterior cranial base made no measurable difference to any airway variable examined.

How to cite this: Fatima S, Khan WU, Hasnain M, Tariq S, Ilyas S, Mehmood A. Relationship Between Anterior Cranial Base Morphology
and Airway Volume Measured on CBCT Scans: A Cross-Sectional Observational Study. Life and Science. 2026; 7(3): 380-386. doi:
http://doi.org/10.37185/LnS.1.1.1153