Little is known about the mechanisms of persistence of obstructive apnea. Structurally, the dorsum of the tongue locates anterior to the soft palate. On the basis of the observation of posterior displacement of the tongue during obstructive apnea, we hypothesized that the dorsum of the tongue pushes the anterior wall of the soft palate posteriorly during inspiratory efforts, maintaining closure...

BACKGROUND AND AIMS The oropharyngeal (OP) and nasopharyngeal structures seems to play roles in the development of the dentofacial complex. Soft palate as a part of nasopharyngeal and OP apparatus has an important role in phonation, deglutition and respiration. The aim of this study was to find whether any correlation exists between the three types of malocclusion and airway space using lateral...

INTRODUCTION The classic submucous cleft palate triad was described by Calnan in 1954. The findings include a bifid uvula, a bony notch in the posterior hard palate, and a furrow along the midline of the soft palate. The furrow represents an area of diastasis of the velopharyngeal muscle sling and is often referred to as the zona pellucida. In 1975, Kaplan first reported on the ‘‘occult’’ submu...