Is there a relationship of nasal septum deviation with pharyngeal airway dimension and craniocervical posture?

Objective: This study aimed to evaluate the effects of nasal septum deviation on the pharyngeal airway and craniocervical posture measurements using cone beam computed tomography (CBCT).

Methods: This retrospective study analyzed the CBCTs of 25 patients with and without nasal septum deviation. Various parameters defining the pharyngeal airway and craniocervical and facial skeletal morphology were measured and compared between the groups after confirming intra-examiner reliability.

Results: Compared to the control group, the group with nasal septum deviation had a statistically significantly shorter nasopharyngeal length ( < 0.001), longer vertical airway length ( < 0.002), and larger cervical column curvature angle ( < 0.006).

Conclusion: Children with a nasal septum deviation of 4 mm or more on their CBCT scan are susceptible to unfavorable pharyngeal airway and craniocervical postural changes.