Adult craniofacial and pharyngeal changes - a longitudinal cephalometric study between 22 and 42 years of age. Part II: morphological uvulo-glossopharyngeal changes

The purpose of this study was to investigate, by cephalometric means, longitudinal alterations in uvulo-glossopharyngeal morphology in adult males and females, at three different ages with 10-year intervals, and to compare the changes between the two genders. The material consisted of three series of cephalograms of 26 males and 24 females, with approximately a 10-year interval between each series. Alterations with age in males and females included: 1 An increase in the length, thickness, and sagittal area of the soft palate, with a more upright position for both genders. 2 A more upright tongue position and caudally-extended tongue mass for both sexes was found, and the sagittal area of the tongue was significantly increased only in males. 3 There was a decrease in the sagittal dimension of the oropharynx, and at the minimal distance between the base of the tongue and the posterior pharyngeal wall in both males and females. The overall significant inter-sex differences, over a 20-year period, were that males showed a more upright tongue position and more caudally-extended tongue mass, a greater reduction in sagittal dimension of the minimal pharyngeal airway space, a greater increase in the sagittal area of the soft palate, and an increase in the tongue area.