Relationship between cranial mechanics and dysmorphic dentofacial characteristics: a cross-sectional study.

AIMS: The aim of the present study was to evaluate if cranial dysfunctions felt by osteopaths could correlate with sagittal dysmorphologies diagnosed by orthodontists, using cephalometric traces in the sagittal plane. Metholology: One hundred and six children between 6 and 12 years old (42 boys and 64 girls) were tested by an osteopath to determine if the cranial movement felt was considered to be eased in flexion or extension. To test reproducibility intra-operator, 27 randomly selected subjects were tested twice, at a one-month interval by the same osteopath before the start of their orthodontic treatment. These tests were then correlated with a cephalometric analysis of the sagittal plane to determine what type of dysmorphology existed, if any, as well as the angle of the spheno-occipital synchondrosis (SOS).

RESULTS

Practitioners systematically found more cranial movement in extension for all the bones in patients in skeletal class II than in the others. Similarly, they systematically found more cranial movement in flexion in patients in skeletal class III than in the other skeletal classes. However, there was no significant difference found in SOS angulation between skeletal classes I, II, and III.

DISCUSSION: This study tends to confirm the correlation, described previously by orthodontists, between the mobility of the bones of the cranial vault and dysmorphic dentofacial characteristics in the sagittal plane. Anomalies during development could lead to the typical cranial characteristics of flexion or extension. As such, these situations could be related to skeletal classes III and II respectively.