Various Shapes of Soft Palate: A Lateral Cephalometric Study

Abstract

ABSTRACT Objective Though the soft palate presents with varied morphology, very few studies have described its diversity. The aim of our study was to investigate various shapes of soft palate in normal individuals. Methods The study comprised of 80 individuals requiring orthodontic treatment but without any speech abnormality, whose age ranged from 9 to 31 years. Velar shape was examined on digital lateral cephalograms and was allocated to one of the six patterns as described by You M et al. The difference in proportion of each type and also difference between genders were studied. Results The normal soft palate can be classified into six types based on its shape. Type 2—rat-tail shape is most common in both the genders. There is no significant difference in proportion of various shapes of soft palate between genders. Conclusion Soft palate may have variable morphology. Knowledge of varied spectrum of velar morphology may help in successful functional and structural repair in cleft palate cases, and shed some light towards the causes of obstructive sleep apnea and related disorders.