Date: September 2023.
Source: American Journal of Orthodontics and Dentofacial Orthopedics. Volume 164, Issue 3, Pages 340-350.
Highlights:
• Mandibular dental midline shift is correlated with asymmetry of the lower facial part.
• Some facial midpoints deviated to a Class II subdivision.
• A slight shortening of the face in patients with a Class II subdivision exists.
• Deviation at the canine level has a higher impact on the facial parameters.

Introduction: Facial aesthetics have become one of the most important objectives of orthodontic treatment. The correction of dental arches should be performed in accordance with the face. This study explored the association between occlusal and facial asymmetries in adolescents, particularly emphasizing a Class II subdivision.
Methods: Eighty-one adolescents (43 males, 38 females) with a median age of 15.9 (interquartile range, 15.17-16.33) years were enrolled. Of these patients, 30 had a Class II subdivision (right side, n = 12; left side, n = 18). Three-dimensional facial scans were analyzed using surface- and landmark-based methods. Chin asymmetry was determined using the chin volume asymmetry score. Three-dimensional intraoral scans were analyzed to assess occlusal asymmetry.
Results: The surface matching scores were 59.0% ± 11.3% for the whole face and 39.0% ± 19.2% for the chin. Chin volume was larger on the right side than on the left side in most patients (n = 51, 63%), and it was associated with a dental midline shift to the corresponding subdivision side. A correlation between dental and facial asymmetries was noted. In addition, the dental midline shifted to the left in patients with a Class II subdivision, regardless of the side, and to the right in those with a symmetrical Class II subdivision. However, several patients did not possess asymmetrical occlusal traits sufficient for statistical analysis.
Conclusions: Dental asymmetry was weak but significantly correlated with facial asymmetry.

Article: The association between dental and facial symmetry in adolescents.
Authors: Signe Silinevica, Kristine Lokmane, Ville Vuollo, Gundega Jakobsone, Pertti Pirttiniemi, Institute of Stomatology, Riga Stradins University, Riga, Latvia and Department of Oral Development and Orthodontics, Oulu University Hospital, Oulu, Finland.

Related Articles:

  1. Exploring the midline soft tissue surface changes from 12 to 15 years of age in three distinct country population cohorts. S Richmond, AI Zhurov, ABM Ali, P Pirttiniemi, T Heikkinen, V Harila, S Silinevica, G Jakobsone, I Urtane.
  2. Reproducibility of Natural Head Position assessed with stereophotogrammetry. G Jakobsone, V Vuollo, P Pirttiniemi.
  3. Evaluation of facial soft tissue asymmetric changes in Class III patients after orthognathic surgery using three-dimensional stereophotogrammetry. E Nike, O Radzins, P Pirttiniemi, V Vuollo, A Slaidina, A Abeltins.
  4. Association between degenerative temporomandibular joint disorders, vertical facial growth, and airway dimension. A Dadgar-Yeganeh, DC Hatcher, S Oberoi.