• Publication: https://doi.org/10.3390/jcm10194560

Abstract:

This study aimed to investigate the correlation between the amount of mandibular setback, and the related changes of the tongue area, pharyngeal area, and pharyngeal airflow velocity. Twenty-five patients treated for mandibular prognathism, and serial cephalograms were obtained (T1: preoperation, T2: more than one year postoperation). The postoperative area of the tongue, pharyngeal airway space, and pharyngeal airflow velocity were investigated. Statistical analysis was performed with the Student t-test and Pearson correlation. The amount of mandible setback was significant after surgery (12.8 mm; p < 0.001). The pharyngeal area was significantly reduced 115.5 mm2 (p = 0.046). There was a slight reduction of the tongue area (43.2 mm2; p = 0.305) and an increase of pharyngeal airflow velocity (0.3 m/s; p = 0.133). The Pearson correlation coefficient test showed no statistical significance among the amount of horizontal setback and vertical movement of the mandible, such as the reductions in the tongue area, the pharyngeal airway space, and the increase in pharyngeal airflow velocity. Larger amounts of mandibular setback caused a significant reduction of pharyngeal airway area, but without significant changes of the tongue area and pharyngeal airflow velocity.

My tasks:

• Investigated the correlation between the amount of mandibular setback, and the related changes of the tongue area, pharyngeal area, and pharyngeal airflow velocity.
• Created AutoCAD models of the serial cephalograms from 25 patients treated for mandibular prognathism
• Conducted computational fluid dynamic analysis on pharyngeal airflow velocity of pharyngeal airways’ CAD models

Figure

This is the resulting graph from COMSOL Multiphysics CFD simulation of the pharyngeal airflow velocity.