Craniofacial growth and size patterns during postnatal development.

Patterns of craniofacial growth and size relationships are described for a mixed longitudinal sample of 26 males and 25 females, followed serially from four years of age through adult status. The seven dimensions examined, derived from 663 lateral cephalograms, show differential patterns of negative allometric growth relative to statural increase. Relative growth is greatest for mandibular traits, followed by upper facial and neurocranial traits, respectively. Males exhibit greater relative growth than females. Craniofacial variation residual to allometry follows three independent patterns of association defined by principal component analysis. The components are age and sex independent, suggesting that after proportional changes related to absolute size or scale are controlled for, anterior facial, cranial height, and masticatory associations follow separate but proportionate patterns during growth.