Transverse Dental Arch Dimensions and Body Mass Index in Pediatric Patients with Marfan Syndrome: A Case-Control Observational Study.

Objectives

To describe BMI-for-age and transverse dental arch measurements in growing children with Marfan syndrome (MFS) and a non-Marfan pediatric comparison group. Materials and

Methods

A retrospective case-control observational study included 41 children aged 6-11 years: 15 patients with MFS (7 males, 8 females; mean age 8.8 ± 1.5 years) and 26 non-Marfan controls (10 males, 16 females; mean age 8.9 ± 1.6 years). Anthropometric parameters and BMI-for-age z-scores were assessed using the WHO 2007 Growth Reference. Digital dental models were used to measure intermolar width (IMW), intercanine width (ICW), and the IMW/ICW ratio. Descriptive statistics, exploratory between-group comparisons, and Pearson correlation analyses were performed.

Results

Children with MFS showed significantly lower BMI and BMI-for-age z-scores than controls, although BMI-for-age values generally remained within the normal range. Height values were consistently elevated, reflecting the characteristic growth pattern of MFS. The MFS group showed a significantly smaller mean ICW than controls, whereas the difference in IMW was not statistically significant. The IMW/ICW ratio was also evaluated to characterize transverse dental arch proportions. Pearson correlation analyses showed no significant associations between BMI-for-age z-score and IMW or ICW in either group. In controls, age was positively correlated with BMI-for-age z-score and IMW was positively correlated with ICW; these associations were not observed between BMI-for-age z-score and dental measurements in the MFS group.

Conclusions

Children with MFS showed a leaner anthropometric profile and a significantly smaller mean ICW, whereas the difference in IMW was not statistically significant. These preliminary findings should be interpreted cautiously given the small sample size and exploratory nature of the study. Further longitudinal studies with larger cohorts are warranted.