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Nov 9, 2023Keywords:
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A cephalometric evaluation of midface and mandibular effective lengths and the maxillomandibular differentials in children with Down syndrome in Benin City, Nigeria.
Abstract
Objective: To determine the effective lengths of the midface, mandible and the maxillomandibular differentials of individuals with Down syndrome and compare with the standard average McNamara norms
Methods: Twenty-two children with Down syndrome (10-15 years; 13 males and 9 females) were recruited for the study. The effective lengths of the midface (MxTL) and mandible (MnTL), maxillomandibular differentials (MxMnD) and the anterior cranial base (S-N) length were evaluated on the lateral cephalograph. Independent t-test was used to comparatively evaluate the continuous variables in relation to gender. Pearson correlation coefficient was used to determine the relationship of the variables. A significant level of p<0.05 was set for this study.
Results: The average effective length of the midface (MxTL) and mandible (MnTL) were 68.75±6.73mm and 89.18±10.63mm respectively. The maxillomandibular differential (MxMnD) was 20.32±5.93mm while the average anterior cranial base (S-N) length was 53.14±5.16mm. Male patients with Down syndrome had a larger MxTL and MnTL, MxMnD and S-N length than females (p<0.05). Pearson correlation coefficient (r) showed a statistically significant level (p=0.0001) of strong correlation between the S-N length and the MxTL (r=0.832) and MnTL (r=0.929). Linear regression showed the relationship and impact of S-N on the variables as follows: on MxTL, (r=0.831, r2=0.690), MnTL (r=0.923, r2=0.862), and MxMnD. (r=0.740, r2=0.548).
Conclusion: This study, therefore, shows that the average effective lengths of the midface and mandible were shorter than the McNamara values for young non-Down syndrome children while the maxillomandibular differentials were within normal values as described by McNamara. The reduction in the effective lengths of the midface and mandible could be a contributing factor to development of malocclusion among individuals with Down syndrome.
