Predicting Mandibular and Anterior Face Growth Using Cervical Vertebral Dimensions

Objectives: To create a model to predict mandibular and vertical facial growth timing using the cervical vertebral body dimensions and ratios.
Methods: The sample for this study was taken from the Forsyth/Moorrees Twin Study in Cambridge, MA. We collected information from 10 pairs of dizygotic twins at 12 time points 1 year apart. We calculated descriptive statistics using means and frequencies. We also used linear mixed effect modeling to predict mandibular growth and vertical facial growth using the 3^rd and 4^th vertebral body (CS3, CS4) anterior and posterior border dimensions and ratios.
Results: The sample included 14 males and 6 females with an average age of 7.6 years at T1 (5 -9 years). The linear mixed effect modeling method was used to build a regression model predicting the mandibular growth and vertical facial growth using time, gender, CS3 base anterior ratio and CS3 posterior-anterior ratio as predictors. The global test was statistically significant (p<0.0001). We found that after controlling for time and gender, the CS3 base anterior ratio and the CS3 posterior-anterior ratio are significant predictors of mandibular growth and vertical facial growth (P<0.0001). Neither CS4 dimensions nor gender were a significant predictor of growth of the mandible or the face (P>0.05).
Conclusions: The CS3 dimensions can be used as an alternative to hand-wrist films to predict future growth of the mandible and face.