Establishment of norms of upper and lower pharyngeal width in garhwali population

The present study was done to assess and to establish the norms of upper and lower pharyngeal width for Garhwali population and to determine sexual dimorphism among the population. Methodology: Sample of sixty Class I subject (30 male and 30 females) with well-balanced face were selected with age group of 18-24 years. Lateral cephalogram of the subjects were taken using natural head position and true vertical line.All reference points, landmarks and measurement were made according to McNamara airway analysis. Lateral cephalograms were digitized using Dolphin software and separate reading for male and female samples were recorded and sent for statistical analysis. The arithmetic mean and standard deviation of pharyngeal width were calculated. Student’s t-test was used to compare between pharyngeal width in males and females. Results: The mean upper pharyngeal width was 15.03+/- 3 mm and mean lower pharyngeal width was 10.7 +/- 2.5 mm. Significant difference exist in upper and lower pharyngeal width in males and females. Conclusion: Good compatibility of age and sex seen in pharyngeal width of Class I subjects. Males have higher upper and lower pharyngeal width than females.