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Review
. 2014 Dec;6(6):399-408.
doi: 10.14740/jocmr1905w. Epub 2014 Sep 9.

Skeletal malocclusion: a developmental disorder with a life-long morbidity

Nishitha Joshi  1 , Ahmad M Hamdan  2 , Walid D Fakhouri  3
Affiliations
Review

Skeletal malocclusion: a developmental disorder with a life-long morbidity

Nishitha Joshi et al. J Clin Med Res. 2014 Dec.

Abstract

The likelihood of birth defects in orofacial tissues is high due to the structural and developmental complexity of the face and the susceptibility to intrinsic and extrinsic perturbations. Skeletal malocclusion is caused by the distortion of the proper mandibular and/or maxillary growth during fetal development. Patients with skeletal malocclusion may suffer from dental deformities, bruxism, teeth crowding, trismus, mastication difficulties, breathing obstruction and digestion disturbance if the problem is left untreated. In this review, we focused on skeletal malocclusion that affects 27.9% of the US population with different severity levels. We summarized the prevalence of class I, II and III of malocclusion in different ethnic groups and discussed the most frequent medical disorders associated with skeletal malocclusion. Dental anomalies that lead to malocclusion such as tooth agenesis, crowding, missing teeth and abnormal tooth size are not addressed in this review. We propose a modified version of malocclusion classification for research purposes to exhibit a clear distinction between skeletal vs. dental malocclusion in comparison to Angle's classification. In addition, we performed a cross-sectional analysis on orthodontic (malocclusion) data through the BigMouth Dental Data Repository to calculate potential association between malocclusion with other medical conditions. In conclusion, this review emphasizes the need to identify genetic and environmental factors that cause or contribute risk to skeletal malocclusion and the possible association with other medical conditions to improve assessment, prognosis and therapeutic approaches.

Keywords: Late-onset diseases; Micrognathia; Prognathia; Retrognathia; Skeletal malocclusion.

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Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
(A) Cephalometric radiograph of a 13-year-old male. (B) Cephalometric tracing of skeletal landmarks used for geometric constructions. (C) The anterior cranial base (S-N plane) and the angle between SNA and SNB planes that indicate the maxillary and mandibular positions, respectively. (D) The mandibular and maxillary landmarks and planes used to measure the length. Co-Pg is the linear mandibular length from condylion to pogonion. Co-Go is the ramus length from the condylion to the gonion. Go-Pg is the mandibular corpus length from the gonion to the pogonion.
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