CORRELATION BETWEEN CLINICAL ASYMMETRY AND RADIOGRAPHIC ASYMMETRY IN PATIENTS WITH CLASS II SUBDIVISION MALOCCLUSION

Author(s)

Angela Rita Pontes Azevedo

• Document type: Master's Dissertation
• Press: Bauru.
• Institution: Universidade de São Paulo (USP). Faculdade de Odontologia de Bauru (FOB/SDB)
• Defense date: 2003-01-14

Examining board members

Guilherme dos Reis Pereira Janson; Jose Fernando Castanha Henriques; Alexandre Moro

• Advisor: Guilherme dos Reis Pereira Janson

Abstract

The primary objective of this study was to evaluate the correlation between clinical asymmetry and radiographic asymmetry in patients with Class II subdivision malocclusion. Secondarily, the degree of skeletal asymmetries between patients with this type of malocclusion that also presented apparent facial asymmetry were compared to the degree of asymmetry of subjects with normal occlusion. The sample consisted of 42 individuals with complete Class II subdivision malocclusion and 30 with normal occlusion. The mean age of the subjects was 15.21 and 22.42 years for the Class II subdivision group and the normal occlusion group, respectively. Clinical asymmetry was assessed by measuring the relative difference in spatial position of soft tissue landmarks between right and left sides in frontal photographs. Radiographic asymmetry was assessed by measuring the relative difference in spatial position of dental and skeletal landmarks between right and left sides in both anteroposterior and transverse dimensions in the submentovertex and in the transverse and vertical dimensions in the postero-anterior radiographs. Pearson’s correlation test was performed between the asymmetries in the photographs and the asymmetries in the radiographs. Independent t tests were used to compare the radiographic asymmetries of 23 Class II subdivision subjects that also presented apparent facial asymmetry with subjects with normal occlusion. The correlation between clinical and radiographic asymmetry was very weak. Despite the predominantly dentoalveolar nature of the asymmetries found in Class II, subdivision malocclusions with apparent facial asymmetry, there was a small radiographic mandibular asymmetry in relation to Class II, subdivision malocclusions in general. (AU)