Objectives: The aim of this study was to determine the relationship between the vertical mandibular ramus asymmetry and the hand measurements asymmetry in growing patients.
Material and methods: Panoramic radiographs and comparative radiographs of the right and left hands of 40 patients (14 males and 26 females) between 6 and 16 years old (mean age of 11.35±1.99 years) were evaluated. The total height of the mandibular ramus was measured, and the asymmetry index was calculated. The lengths of the proximal, middle and distal phalanges and the metacarpals of the five digits of both hands were measured and the absolute differences R-L were calculated for each one.
Results: A statistically significant association between the presence of vertical mandibular ramus asymmetry and the presence of phalanges asymmetry FPII (p=0.016), FPIII (p=0.016), FPIV (p=0.033), FMIII (p=0.031) and FMIV (p=0.016) was observed.
Conclusions: Mandibular asymmetry appears not to be isolated but also present in other body districts such as the phalanx bones. The total vertical asymmetry of the mandibular ramus showed an association with the asymmetry of the lengths of the FPIII, FMIII, FPIV, FMIV and FPII in growing individuals, with association between the side of mandibular asymmetry and the side of the phalanx's asymmetry. The asymmetry of this phalanges increases with increasing index of vertical mandibular ramus asymmetry.
Keywords: hand-wrist radiograph; mandibular asymmetry; panoramic radiology; skeletal maturation.