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Introduction: Conflicting results have been reported relative to the correlation of pharyngeal dimensions with different sagittal skeletal malocclusions and growth patterns.

Objective: The study was designed to compare pharyngeal widths in different sagittal malocclusions and growth patterns in Nepalese population.

Materials and Method: This was a cross-sectional, analytic study conducted on patients visiting Department of Orthodontics, B.P. Koirala Institute of Health Sciences. Lateral cephalometric radiographs of 135 patients were collected. Medians and Interquartile Ranges of pharyngeal widths according to McNamara airway analysis and Arnett/Gunson FAB airway analysis adapted by Santiago et al in different skeletal malocclusions and growth patterns were compared.

Result: No statistically significant difference was found in upper pharyngeal width, lower pharyngeal width, nasopharyngeal width, oropharyngeal width, hypopharyngeal width, and deep pharyngeal width in different skeletal malocclusions. Statistically significant difference was found in nasopharyngeal width (p=0.010), hypopharyngeal width (p=0.027), and deep pharyngeal width (p<0.001) in different growth patterns i.e. hypodivergent versus normodivergent, and in hypodivergent versus hyperdivergent; not in normodivergent versus hyperdivergent group of patients.

Conclusion: The pharyngeal widths of patients didn’t show a statistically significant difference in different skeletal malocclusions. Nasopharyngeal width, hypopharyngeal width, and deep pharyngeal width showed a statistically significant difference between hypodivergent versus normodivergent; and hypodivergent versus hyperdivergent growth patterns.

Arnett/Gunson FAB airway analysis; lateral cephalogram; McNamara airway analysis; pharyngeal width.