Morphology of facial skeletonin children with undiffentiated connective tissue dysplasia

Abstract

In order to determine the major cephalometric and gnathometric features in children with undifferentiated connective tissue dysplasia, a comprehensive clinical-instrumental and X-ray examination was carried out involving 109 children aged 11-16 and featuring a set of signs pointing at connective tissue failure. Depending on the severity of the external phenotypic manifestations as well as clinical and instrumental signs, the patients were divided into groups with mild, moderate and severe undifferentiated dysplasia. The gnathometric and biometric maxillofacial studies were performed employing traditional methods, while the diagnosis was set following the generally accepted classifications. The head telerentgenograms (lateral projection) interpretation was performed in the Dolphin imaging software. The analysis of the head telerentgenograms (lateral projection) was done through the Schwartz S. method subject to the norm indicators proposed by A.A. Anikienko. The nature and the intensity of morphofunctional issues in the craniofacial structures (small stigmas) were found to be determined by the severity of dysplastic connective tissue disorders. Constitutional and morphological dysgenesia, as a manifestation of connective tissue dysplasia, is the reason behind abnormal development in the anatomical structure of the cranial and facial regions. It is displayed through increasing dolichocephaly with a decrease in the face width and vertical size, poorly developed jaws, distal displacement of the mandible in relation to the skull base combined with a deep incisal overbite, increased sagittal interincisal distance, and the vertical type of jaw growth. Thus, the pathogenetic mechanisms facilitate the development of malocclusions