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

Objective: To identify the morphological varieties of the soft palate on a digital lateral cephalogram in the median sagittal plane which is presented variously in normal individuals with age and gender and also to assess if there exists any morphological variations in the soft palate among cleft palate and obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) groups. Materials and methods: A total of 120 normal subjects, 15 cleft palate patients and 15 OSA patients, whose ages ranged from 5 years and above were included. The morphology of the soft palate on lateral cephalometry was examined and classi ed into different types. The dimensional differences of the soft palate between the types and the differences in proportion to different age and gender groups were also studied in normal individuals, cleft palate patients and OSA patients. Results: The morphology of the soft palate was classi ed into six types with an additional ungrouped type. There was a signi cant increase in the length of soft palate with age. n cleft palate patients, the predominant type of soft palate was type 3 with shorter velar length, while the predominant type of soft palate in OSA patients was type 1 with the length of the soft palate longer than that of the normal group. o signi cant difference was observed between males and females with respect to the mean length in normal group, cleft palate group and OSA group. Conclusion: Soft palate presents variable radiographic appearances on lateral cephalometry. The classic velar morphology in cleft palate and OSA patients serves as an alternative modality of investigation to identify the etiology at an earlier stage.