Purpose: Mandibular asymmetry related to condylar hyperactivity (CH) presents a complex set of morphologic features that pose challenges for its correction. Using state-of-the-art morphometric techniques, this report provides a detailed and hierarchical description of the features present in CH-related asymmetric mandibles and offers new knowledge for the surgical treatment of CH.
Materials and methods: Sixty patients were included in the sample. Thirty had CH-related asymmetric mandibles and the other 30 had clinically symmetric mandibles. Twenty-eight 3-dimensional landmarks were placed on computed tomographically based reconstructions of each participant's mandible and analyzed using geometric morphometric analysis for the quantitative and qualitative comparison of their morphologic features.
Results: All 60 participants exhibited asymmetry. However, those with CH exhibited a broad range of shapes and even shared several morphologic features with the controls. Mainly the ramus and then the body were the main contributors of the differences between groups.
Conclusions: There is considerable overlap of anatomic features characterizing symmetric and asymmetric mandibles; based on shape alone, the 2 groups can be easily misclassified. The ramus and body of the affected side in CH-related asymmetric mandibles were the main contributors to asymmetry of the structure. The chin, a usual diagnostic structure, did not greatly contribute to the structural asymmetry of the mandible.
Copyright © 2018 American Association of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgeons. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.