Authors :
Dr. Parul Agarwal; Dr. Vinay Mohan; Dr. Satendra Sharma; Dr. Yash Mehta
Volume/Issue :
Volume 11 - 2026, Issue 6 - June
Google Scholar :
https://shorturl.at/mNPXD
Scribd :
https://tinyurl.com/2hd2knw5
DOI :
https://doi.org/10.38124/ijisrt/26jun105
Note : A published paper may take 4-5 working days from the publication date to appear in PlumX Metrics, Semantic Scholar, and ResearchGate.
Abstract :
Aim:
To view morphologic variety of soft palate using clinical assessment and Cephalometric radiography for normal individuals.
Materials and Methods:
The study group comprised of 200 subjects in the age group of 20-25 years which included 100 males and 100 females drawn from OPD of K. D. Dental College and Hospital, Mathura who were subjected to clinical assessment and Lateral Cephalometric views
Results:
A total of 200 subjects were evaluated for Mallampati classification and soft palate morphology. Leaf-shaped soft palate was the predominant morphology (66%), followed by rat-tail type (19%). Mallampati Class I was the most frequently observed airway pattern (39.5%). A significant association was found between gender and soft palate morphology, with leaf type being more common in males and rat-tail type predominating in females (p<0.001). No statistically significant correlation was observed between Mallampati classification and soft palate morphology (p=0.474). Soft palate length did not show significant variation among different soft palate types or Mallampati classes. However, soft palate width demonstrated a significant association with soft palate morphology (p<0.001), with greater width observed in butt and crook types. Superior, middle, and inferior velopharyngeal spaces also showed significant variation among soft palate morphologies, whereas no significant relationship was noted between velopharyngeal spaces and Mallampati classes. These findings suggest that soft palate morphology is associated with specific morphometric airway characteristics but is independent of Mallampati classification.
References :
- You M, Li X, Wang H, Zhang J, Wu H, Liu Y, Miao J, Zhu Z et al.Morphological variety of the soft palate in normal individuals: a digital cephalometric study.Dentomaxillofacial Radiology 2008;37:344-9.
- Moore KL, Agur AMR. Essential Clinical Anatomy(2nd edn). Philadelphia, PA:Lippincott, William and Wilkins,2002.
- Rhonda F Jacob, Ting-Ling Chang.Maxillofacial prosthodontics for edentulous patients.prosthodontic treatment for edentulous patients,13th edition.Elsevier;2013.p.351-352
- Clinical application of palatal lift appliance in velopharyngeal incompetence. Journal of Indian Society of Pedodontics and Preventive Dentistry 2009;29(supplement-2):70-73
- Johns DF, Rohrich RJ, Awada M. velopharyngeal incompetence: a guide for clinical evaluation.Plas Reconstr Surg 2003:112;1890-1898.
- B.J. Moxham.The development of the palate- a brief review.Eur J Ana (2003),7 Suppl.1:53-74.
- Gupta, Sharma, Jain: AIRWAY ASSESSMENT PREDICTORS OF DIFFICULT AIRWAY. Indian J. Anaesth. 2005;49(4):257-262
- M. Okan Ackam, T. Ufuk Toygar, Takeshi Wada. Longitudinal Investigations of Soft Palate and Nasopharyngeal Airway Relations in Different Rotation types. Angle Orthod 2002;72:521–526.
- Rubesin S., Jones B, Donner W. M. Radiology of the adult soft palate. Dysphagia 1987(2);8:17
- Subtelny J D. a Cephalometric study of the growth of the soft palate. Plast Reconstr Surg 1957;7:443-454
- Cohen SR, Chen L, Trotman CA, Burdi AR. Soft-palate myogenesis: a developmental field paradigm. Cleft palate- Craniofac J 1993; 30: 441–446.
- taylor M, Hans MG, Strohl KP, Nelson S, Broadbent BH. Soft tissue growth of oropharynx. Angle Orthodontist 1996;66:393-400
- pepin JL, Veale D, Ferrati GR, Mayer P, Levy PA. Obstructive sleep apnea syndrome: hooked appearance of the soft palate in awake patients-cephalometric and CT findings. Radiology 1999;210:163-170
- Kollias I, Krogstad O. Adult craniocervical and pharyngeal changes – a longitudinal cephalometric study between 22 and 42 years of age. Part II: morphology of uvulo-glossopharyngeal changes. Eur J Orthod 1999; 21: 345–355.
- Johnston CD, Richardson A. Cephalometric changes in adult pharyngeal morphology. Eur J Orthod 1999; 21: 357–362
- Battagel JM, Johal A, Kotecha B. A cephalometric comparison of subjects with snoring and obstructive sleep apnoea. Eur J Orthod 2000; 22(4): 353-65.
- Niu YM,Wang H, Zheng Q, He X, Zhang J, Li Xm,et al. Morphology of the soft palate in Normal humans with digital cephalometry. Hua Xi Kou Qiang Yi Xue Za Zhi 2006;24:321-27.
- D. Kalyan , Gopla Saraswati K. Morphological Variants Of Soft Palate In Normal Individuals: A Digital Cephalometric Study Journal of Clinical and Diagnostic Research. 2011 November (Suppl-1), Vol-5(6): 1310-1313
- Praveen BN, Amrutesh S, Pal S, Shubhasini AR, Vaseemuddin S. Various Shapes of Soft Palate: A Lateral Cephalometric StudyWorld Journal of Dentistry, July-September 2011;2(3):207-210
- Guttal KS, Breh R, Bhat R, Burde KN, Naikamasur VG. Diverse Morphologies of soft palate in Normal Individuals: A Cephalometric Perspective. J Indian Aca Oral Med Radiol 2012;24(1):15-19.
- Deepa V, David CM, Ramnarayan BK. Morphological Varieties of Soft Palate in Normal Individuals Cleft Palate Patients and Obstructive Sleep Apnea Patients with Reference to Indian Population: A Preliminary Digital Cephalometric Study. World J Dent 2013;4(4):241-249.
- Pradhuman Verma1, Kanika Gupta Verma2,*, Kikkeri Lakshminarayana Kumaraswam3,Suman Basavaraju4, Suresh K. Sachdeva1, Suruchi Juneja2Correlation of morphological variants of the soft palate and Need’s ratio in normal individuals: A digital cephalometric study. Imaging Science in Dentistry 2014; 44: 193-8
- Dr. Jagdhari. Smriti. B1 , Dr. Patni V.M.2 , Dr. Motwani Mukta3. Correlation of Types of Soft Palate, Body Mass Index and Apnoea Hypoapnoea Index in Patients with Sleep Apnoea: A Pilot Study. IOSR Journal of Dental and Medical Sciences (IOSR-JDMS) e-ISSN: 2279-0853, p-ISSN: 2279-0861.Volume 13, Issue 7 Ver. II (July. 2014), PP 74-77
- Khaitan T, Pachigolla R, Uday G, Balmuri PK, Chennoju SK, Pattipati S. Digital cephalometric analysis illustrating morphological variation of the soft palate. J Indian Acad Oral Med Radiol 2015;27:532-8.
- Santosh VK, Singh P, Pagare SS. Normative Soft Palate Dimensions and Morphology in a Subset of Indian Population: A Digital Cephalometric Study. Indian J Oral Health Res 2015;1:48-51.
- Samdani D, Saigal A, Garg E. correlation of morphological variants of soft palate and types of malocclusion: A digital lateral cephalometric study. J Indian Acad Oral Med Radiol 2015;27: 366-71.
- Kaur S, Rai S, Sinha A, Ranjan V, Mishra D, Panjwani S. A lateral cephalogram study for evaluation of pharyngeal airway space and its relation to neck circumference and body mass index to determine predictors of obstructive sleep apnea. J Indian Acad Oral Med Radiol 2015;27:2-8.
- Smriti K, Pai KM, Vineetha R, Pentapati KC. Radiographic Evaluation of Soft Palate Morphology and Correlation with Gender on Lateral Cephalograms. World J Dent 2015;6(3):147-149.
- Defne Kecik (2016) Three-dimensional analyses of palatal morphology and its relation to upper airway area in obstructive sleep apnea. The Angle Orthodontist In-Press.
- Rubsin SE, Rabischong P, Bilaniuk LT, Laufer I, Levine MS. Contrast examination of the soft palate with cross sectional examination. Radiographics 1988; 8(4): 641-65.
- Gupta S, Sharma KR, Jain D. Airway assessment: predictors of Difficult Airway. Indian J Anaesth 2005;49(4):257-262
- Nuckton T, Glidden D, Browner W, Claman D. Physical examination: Mallampati Score as an Independent Predictor of Obstructive Sleep Apnea. SLEEP 2006;29(7):903-908
- Wanderley S, Lima C L, Couceiro T, Silva W, Coelho R, Lucena A, Soares A. Clinical Criteria for airway assessment: Correlations with Laryngoscopy and Endotracheal Intubation Conditions. O J Anaesthesiology 2013;3:320-325
Aim:
To view morphologic variety of soft palate using clinical assessment and Cephalometric radiography for normal individuals.
Materials and Methods:
The study group comprised of 200 subjects in the age group of 20-25 years which included 100 males and 100 females drawn from OPD of K. D. Dental College and Hospital, Mathura who were subjected to clinical assessment and Lateral Cephalometric views
Results:
A total of 200 subjects were evaluated for Mallampati classification and soft palate morphology. Leaf-shaped soft palate was the predominant morphology (66%), followed by rat-tail type (19%). Mallampati Class I was the most frequently observed airway pattern (39.5%). A significant association was found between gender and soft palate morphology, with leaf type being more common in males and rat-tail type predominating in females (p<0.001). No statistically significant correlation was observed between Mallampati classification and soft palate morphology (p=0.474). Soft palate length did not show significant variation among different soft palate types or Mallampati classes. However, soft palate width demonstrated a significant association with soft palate morphology (p<0.001), with greater width observed in butt and crook types. Superior, middle, and inferior velopharyngeal spaces also showed significant variation among soft palate morphologies, whereas no significant relationship was noted between velopharyngeal spaces and Mallampati classes. These findings suggest that soft palate morphology is associated with specific morphometric airway characteristics but is independent of Mallampati classification.