OBJECTIVE: To three-dimensionally assess differences in craniomaxillofacial skeletal development in patients with operated unilateral cleft lip and palate (UCLP) treated with/without presurgical nasoalveolar molding (PNAM) with a mean age of 5 years.
METHODS: Cone-beam CT radiographs of 30 patients with UCLP who had undergone PNAM and 34 patients with UCLP who did not receive PNAM were analyzed. The data were stored in DICOM file format and were imported into the Dolphin Imaging program for 3D image reconstruction and landmark identification. 33 landmarks, 17 linear and three angular variables representing craniofacial morphology were analyzed and compared by using the Mann-Whitney U tests.
RESULTS: The vast majority of linear variables and 3D coordinates of landmark points reflecting craniofacial skeletal symmetry were not significantly different between the two groups. In terms of craniofacial skeletal development, the PNAM group had a significantly smaller anterior nasal spine offset in the midsagittal plane and a greater maxillary length compared to the non-PNAM group.
CONCLUSIONS: Evaluations performed in early childhood showed that treatment with/without PNAM in the neonatal period was not a major factor influencing craniomaxillofacial hard tissue development in patients with UCLP; moreover, PNAM treatment showed significant correction of skeletal deviation at the base of the nose.
CONCLUSIONS: Follow-up in early childhood has shown that PNAM treatment administered during the neonatal stage does not impede maxillary development and has benefits in correcting nasal floor deviation. It is a viable option for improving nasal deformity in children with unilateral cleft lip and palate.

UNASSIGNED: The objective was to study the effect of orthodontic therapy regarding the position of the hyoid bone and upper airways in nighty-one 6-21 year-old Caucasian patients with normoclussion.
UNASSIGNED: Nineteen variables were analyzed by teleradiography. The differences were analyzed with the ANOVA test of repeated measures with an intra-group factor for two occasions.
UNASSIGNED: The statistical analysis revealed a greater influence on the variables Hy-MP (12.3 vs 14.2), Hps-C3 (25.2 vs 28.1), Hpi-C3 (28.8 vs 35.5), H°-C3 (14.4 vs 12.7), Hps-Rg (36.0 vs 42.7), Hpi-Rg (34.1 vs 39.7), USP (16.2 vs 20.2), MPP (12.9 vs 14.8), C3P (10.6 vs 12.8), PNS-Ba (43.5 vs 66.5), PtV-Ad (12.0 vs 17.1) and PtM-Ba (33.9 vs 35.9), and Ad2-SO (24.16 vs 20.87).
UNASSIGNED: Significant differences were observed between most of the airway and hyoid bone variables before and after orthodontic treatment in our Spanish pediatric population, especially in the nasopharynx.

The objective of this study was to examine the relative contributions of genetic and environmental influences on variation in dental arch form in individuals who have largely completed their craniofacial growth.
The subjects of this study comprised dental casts of 50 monozygotic twins and 24 dizygotic twins from the collection of records of twins housed at the Adelaide Dental School, Australia. The subjects were of Western European descent, with an average age of 20.93 ± 5.58 years. Dental casts were scanned using a 3D scanner to analyse the dental arch form. Landmark-based inter-arch and intra-arch measurements were performed. Structural equation modelling was employed to analyse the quantitative data using the normal assumptions of the twin model.
Genetic modelling revealed that additive genetic and unique environmental factors best explained the observed variation for all occlusal traits measured, except for mandibular intercanine width. High heritability was observed for most intra-arch occlusal variables (0.61-0.85) including the maxillary and mandibular intercanine and intermolar widths, arch depth and perimeter. In contrast, moderate heritability was found for inter-arch occlusal variables (0.52-0.59) such as overjet and overbite. Sexual dimorphism was evident, with males displaying larger posterior arch width than females (P < 0.05).
Our sample was limited to individuals of Western European ancestry.
The predominant source of occlusal variation within this group of Australian twins of Western European descent was controlled by genetic effects, and most were highly heritable. Generally, intra-arch occlusal variables showed greater heritability compared with inter-arch occlusal variables.

OBJECTIVE: 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.
CONCLUSIONS: 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.