Systemic diseases that can be linked to dentofacial alterations have long been in the focus of interdisciplinary research. Within orthopedics, the link between alterations of the spinal column and the viscerocranium is verified. Related research primarily concerned itself with sagittal and vertical alterations. The aim of the present study was to investigate the relations between indices of mandibular asymmetry and indices of spinal deviations gained from back surface analysis (rasterstereography).
Method:
271 children and adolescents between 7 and 17 years of age who sought orthodontic treatment were involved in the study. Non-invasive rasterstereographic back surface analysis was applied, and the results were analysed in relation to the asymmetry indices of the OPG images taken as part of the diagnostic protocol. Due to the large number of variables to compare, correlation analysis was done by stepwise linear regression.
Result:
Of the studied rasterstereographic indices, only sagittal spinal alterations exhibited significant correlation with the asymmetry indices. Values from the lower spinal column exhibited significant correlation with parts of the mandibular ramus: fléche lombaire with RH mean, trunk inclination with CH mean (corr.coeff.: 0.382 and 0.141 respectively), while the cervical values represented by the fléche cervicale showed close correlations with CH + RH mean, Tgc-GoL mean, Gn-GoL mean, and Tgc-GoL index (corr.coeff.: 1.258, 0.685, 0.671 and 0.196 respectively).
Conclusion:
Our results throw new light on the importance of the routine examination of posture alterations characteristically appearing in puberty. Early detection of the mandibular asymmetries related to these postural alterations hold the promise of a significantly more favorable prognosis.