Influence of pathological changes of the head of the mandible on the architectonics of the facial skeleton in patients with juvenile idiopathic arthritis

Abstract

For quantitative assessment of the influence of lesions of the articular head of the mandible on the severity of changes in the architectonics of the gnathic, dentoalveolar parameters of the craniofacial complex in children of 8–16 years old with a diagnosis of «Juvenile idiopathic arthritis» and distal occlusion, cone-beam computed tomography of the temporomandibular joint was performed and a cephalometric analysis of profile teleradiograms of the head was carried out using angular and index indicators reflecting morphological and aesthetic characteristics. Patients were divided into two groups depending on the presence/absence of pathological changes in the head of the mandible: the control group consisted of children (n = 14) without temporomandibular joint lesions, and the study group consisted of children (n = 19) with osteoarticular changes in the temporomandibular joint. Cephalometric analysis revealed that in children in the study group, articular process lesions resulted in retroposition of the mandible to the anterior base of the skull, posterior rotation of the body of the mandible with its caudal displacement, and the lowering of the symphysis combined with the elevation of the angle of the mandible with impaired bone remodeling processes contributed to the formation of the facial skull characteristic of dolichocephaly.