CEPHALOMETRIC EVALUATION OF CORRELATION BETWEEN FULL FACIAL BALANCE AND PHARYNGEAL AIRWAY DIMENSIONS IN ORTHODONTIC SUBJECTS

Objective: To evaluate the cephalometric correlation between full facial balance parameters, derived from Arnett’s soft-tissue analysis, and pharyngeal airway dimensions among orthodontic subjects from Western Uttar Pradesh, India, and to compare these with established Arnett’s Caucasian norms.   Material & Methods: This cross-sectional cephalometric correlation study utilized 62 pre-treatment lateral cephalograms (M=F) aged 17–25 years, obtained from the archives of the Department of Orthodontics and Dentofacial Orthopedics, KDC. The study was approved by the Institutional Ethical Committee. Arnett’s soft-tissue harmony parameters were traced manually, with all projections measured perpendicular to the True Vertical Line (TVL). Pharyngeal airway widths were measured at upper, middle, and lower levels. Statistical analysis included independent t-tests and Pearson’s correlation coefficients (SPSSv25.0). The significance level was set at p<0.05.   Results: In western Uttar Pradesh population, soft-tissue projections exhibited significant deviations from Arnett’s Caucasian norms across multiple landmarks. Notably, the orbital rim, cheekbone, alar base, and pogonion measurements demonstrated statistically significant differences (p<0.05). Among airway parameters, the lower pharyngeal width showed a significant gender difference (p=0.03). Correlation analysis revealed that facial angle negatively correlated with Gl′–A′ distance (r= –0.269, p=0.038), and a significant positive correlation existed between upper and middle pharyngeal widths (r=0.368, p=0.004), and between middle and lower pharyngeal widths (r=0.529, p<0.001).   Conclusion: Subjects from Western Uttar Pradesh exhibited distinct soft-tissue harmony profiles compared with Caucasian norms. Facial balance parameters demonstrated measurable associations with pharyngeal airway morphology, particularly at the lower airway level, indicating possible interdependence between facial soft-tissue projection and airway space dimensions.