Second, the small sample size (n = 8) and predominance of female patients limit statistical power for detecting small-to-moderate effects, increasing the likelihood of type II error for findings with borderline significance ( p = 0.050–0.058).
In the airway analysis, the volume increased by 6.2% ( p = 0.327), while the area showed a trend toward improvement (20%; p = 0.050), approaching statistical significance.
Although increases in airway volume and surface area were noted, they did not reach statistical significance ( p = 0.327 and p = 0.050, respectively), but suggesting a favorable trend toward airway adaptation.
Although increases in airway volume and surface area were noted, they did not reach statistical significance ( p = 0.327 and p = 0.050, respectively), but suggesting a favorable trend toward airway adaptation.
First, although the change in airway volume was minimal, the near-significant increase in cross-sectional area suggests that minimal-area measurements may be more sensitive than global volume in detecting functionally relevant changes, an interpretation supported by previous three-dimensional and CBCT-based studies [ 15 , 16 , 17 , 18 ].