Date: September 2021.
Source: The Anatomical Record, 2021, 304(9), pp. 1918-1926. DOI: 10.1002/ar.24582.
Objective: Normal variation in craniofacial growth and development is clinically important but incompletely understood. The team set out to build a statistical model of craniofacial growth, comparing ontogeny between age groups and sexes, and to pilot an approach to modeling straightforward enough for clinical research and assessment.
Methods: The sample comprised head surface meshes captured on a 3dMDhead5 system from 65 males and 47 females, aged 3 to 20, drawn from the real-world 3dMD Headspace project in Liverpool. Each mesh was parameterized using 16 anatomical landmarks and 59 semilandmarks placed on curves and surfaces. Modes and degrees of growth and development were compared across ages and sexes using Procrustes-based geometric morphometric methods.
Results: Regression analysis showed 3 to 10 year olds undergo greater craniofacial change than 11 to 20 year olds, with growth and development differing between the two age groups. Males extend growth allometrically into larger size ranges, a substantial contributor to adult sexual dimorphism. Comparing ontogenetic trajectories between sexes found no significant difference, but once hypermorphosis was accounted for in the older age group, a significant residual sexual dimorphism remained.
Conclusions: The study adds to understanding of how adult craniofacial form and sexual dimorphism develop. Using readily available software makes the approach replicable across diverse populations, supporting clinical assessment of deformity and the outcomes of corrective interventions.
Article: 3D Modeling of craniofacial ontogeny and sexual dimorphism in children.
Authors: Olivia AM Smith, Youssef SG Nashed, Christian Duncan, Nick Pears, Antonio Profico, Paul O’Higgins. Department of Plastic Surgery, Alder-Hey Children’s Hospital, Liverpool, UK.