Craniofacial skeletal pattern and facial height among Malay adolescents age 8-19 years in Hospital Universiti Sains Malaysia

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Date
2008-06
Authors
Ahmed Abdulla, Dr. Tawfeeq Abdulla
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Abstract
Cranial base measurements in adolescents have been used -to interpret differences in craniofacial morphology. Its unique location enables links to the development of the facial complex that influences the developing facial structures. These measurements vary between ethnic groups worldwide. This cross sectional study utilized 150 (98 males and 52 females) 3-Dimensional Computerized Tomography (3D CT) scans of healthy Malay adolescents aged 8-19 years in Hospital Universiti Sains Malaysia, Kubang Kerian, Kelantan. The CT scans were further categorized into four subgroups that were 8-10, 11- 13, 14-16, and 17-19 years to detect changes in dimensions. These were analysed using the Advantage Workstation AW 4.0-05 with a software package for processing images acquired from medical imaging systems. The anterior cranial base (ACB) measurements in males presented most significant increments in the 11-13 years and 14-16 years age group. The posterior cranial base (PCB) measurements continued to increase from the age of 8-10 years up to 14-16 years but ceased by the age of 17-19 years. The total cranial base (TCB) measurements were significantly increased in the 11-13 years and 14- 16 years age group. In females the ACB measurements showed a significant increase in the 8-10 years and 11-13 years age group after which, there were no significant increments. The PCB seemed to grow more slowly and the rate of increments in all the four age subgroups was insignificant. The TCB increments were significantly observed in the age group of 8-10 years through 11-13 years with insignificant subsequent increments in older age groups. The three linear measurements in males had higher values compared to females in similar age sub-group categories. The most obvious differences between sexes were the significant age of growth period where males demonstrated significant increments after the age of 11-13 years while females showed significant increments at - an earlier age of 8-10 years. In both sexes, the cranial base angle (CBA) showed a significant positive correlation with the craniofacial skeletal pattern (ANB). However the CBA did not show any significant relationship with the anterior facial height in both sexes. The cranial base measurements among Malay male and female adolescents in Kota Bharu are similar to those found in several Caucasian data. However cranial base measurements among females illustrated that growth spurts were uncommon after the chronological and skeletal ages of thirteen years. These findings have implications for clinicians in the decisions regarding the timing of orthodontic treatment and orthodontic treatment plan for the Malay ethnic group.
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Skeletal pattern , Malay adolescents age 8-19 years
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