Radiographic evaluation of soft palate morphology and correlation with gender on lateral cephalograms

Objective: To investigate the variation of the soft palate morphology and the proportional differences of the morphology of soft palate between males and females. Materials and methods: We conducted a cross-sectional study in department of oral medicine and radiology. Lateral cephalometric radiographs of individuals subjected to radiographic examination for orthodontic purpose were retrieved. A total of 100 digital lateral cephalograms of normal healthy individuals (50 males and 50 females) who were aged 15 to 45 years were retrieved. Results: Type 1 was most commonest shape of the soft palate (30%) followed by type 6 (19%), types 2 and 3 (17 and 17%), type 4 (11%) with least being type 5 (6%). There was no significant difference in the distribution of shape of soft palate between males and females (p = 0.312). Conclusion: This classification can help us better understand the diversity of the velar morphology and can be used as references for the research of velopharyngeal closure in cleft palate individuals, obstructive sleep apnea syndrome (OSAS) and other conditions.