Prevalence of mandibular asymmetries in the pediatric population of Jazan: A radiographic analytical study.

BACKGROUND

Facial asymmetry results from variation in mandibular linear and angular dimensions on the right and left sides of the face. Mandibular asymmetry is of great significance to oral surgeons and orthodontists as it directly impacts the facial profile of an individual.

AIM: The present study aimed to measure the prevalence of mandibular asymmetry and its fluctuations during the mixed dentition growth phase in healthy children aged 6-8 years in the Jazan region of Saudi Arabia.

METHOD: This retrospective observational study was conducted by measuring linear asymmetrical measurements of mandible on orthopantomograms of 390 healthy children (182 boys and 208 girls, aged 6-8 years) with mixed dentition. Linear measurements from orthopantomograms were obtained using a standardized digitizer. Two sets of mandibular measurements were recorded, alongside subjective assessments of mandibular first molar development. An independent t-test was employed to assess the significance between measurements on both sides, while one-way ANOVA was used to demonstrate facial asymmetry significance among different age groups.

RESULT: The result of this study revealed a significant statistical difference (p-value≤ 0.05) for both sides of the mandible across two dimensions: condylar and ramus height (p value = 0.03) and mandibular length (p value = 0.04). The asymmetry index resulted in no asymmetry among most of the included subjects. However, compared to the other three linear measurements, many seven-year-old participants possess mandibular asymmetry on condylar height (54.5 %).

CONCLUSION

Within the limitation it could be concluded that children in growing age have a significant mandibular asymmetry (mainly 7 years), which, however, is only seldom clinically significant. Hence, treatment plan should be cautiously planned.