Normal variation of mandibular asymmetry in children

Abstract

Objective: To explore the normal variation of asymmetry in mandibles of children in the age group of 1 to 12 years. Materials and Methods: The study group consisted of 92 cadaveric mandibles of children with a dental age of 1 to 12 years old in possession of ACTA (Academic Centre for Dentistry Amsterdam), Faculty of Dentistry, the Netherlands. 3D models of the mandibles were obtained from CT-scans and hemimandibular volumes of all mandibles were calculated. The condylar height, ramus height, mandibular body length and the gonial angle were bilaterally determined using a novel landmark-based method, and the degree of asymmetry was calculated. Results: No relationship was found between dental age and asymmetry of the studied parameters (P