Purpose: To evaluate the changes in the pharyngeal airway space after different procedures in orthognathic surgery based on cephalometric study analysis in patients with dentofacial anomalies Class II and Class III, who underwent orthognathic surgery between years 2008 and 2010 in the Police Central Hospital, Bogota-Colombia.

Method: Evaluation of 42 lateral cephalograms preoperatively and postoperatively divided in four groups, Group A: 11 patients underwent surgery by mandibular advancement with genioplasty, Group B: 8 patients underwent surgery by bilateral sagittal splits ramus osteotomy, Le Fort I osteotomy and genioplasty; Group C: 13 patients underwent surgery by bilateral sagittal splits ramus osteotomy and Le Fort I osteotomy, Group D: 10 patients underwent surgery by mandibular setback and genioplasty. We did a cephalometric analysis taking as parameters anterior-posterior landmarks and lineal measurements of the pharyngeal airway space in three places: nasopharynx, oropharynx and hypopharynx.

Results: Group A had significantly changes in the oropharynx and hypopharynx; Groups B and C had significantly changes in the nasopalatine region; Group D showed changes in nasopalatine region but no changes in the nasopharynx and hypopharynx.

Conclusion: We showed the changes in the pharyngeal airway space after different orthognathic surgery procedures including advancement genioplasty. There are not significantly changes between the groups underwent bimaxilary surgery, but genioplasty increase the changes in the pharyngeal airway space.

Conflict of interest: None declared.