Alteration of the angle of the coronoid process in prognathism.

Muscles and bones may dynamically affect the functions of each other, resulting in changes in the activity of the muscle and/or morphological change in the bones. However, alterations of the morphology of the coronoid process have not been documented in relation to the temporal muscle between the mandible and the cranium. Angles of the coronoid process to the line through the right and the left frontotemporale were measured on posteroanterior (PA) cephalograms in patients with normal occlusions and Class II, division 1 malocclusions, and those with true skeletal Class III malocclusions. Standard deviation of the angle of the coronoid process in patients with Class III malocclusions was greater than those subjects with normal occlusion or Class II, division 1 malocclusions. Differences of angles between the right and the left coronoid process in each patient of either sex were significantly large in true skeletal Class III malocclusions (both P < 0.001). Large variation of angle of the coronoid process was related to prognathism, and this effect may represent adaptation of temporal muscle function to a variety of alterations in mandibular morphology.