Craniofacial morphology and head posture in children with asthma and perennial rhinitis

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Abstract
Studies of factors supposed to influence craniofacial morphogenesis have suggested an association between obstruction of nasal airway, head posture, and morphologic changes. The present investigation evaluated craniofacial morphology and head posture from lateral skull radiographs, of 50 children, 6—16 years old, with bronchial asthma and perennial allergic rhinitis compared with 50 control children matched with respect to age and sex. Craniofacial morphology was described by nine skeletal and dentoalveolar variables and head posture by two variables. No statistically significant differences were found in skeletal morphology between asthmatic children and controls (p>0.05). However, the asthmatic children showed an increased inclination of upper (p>0.05) and decreased inclination of lower incisors (p<0.05). The inclination of the occlusal plane was decreased in the asthmatic children (p<0.05). In addition, within the asthma group, more retrognathic jaws were seen in association with increasing severity of asthma (p<0.05). Comprehensive correlations were found between head posture and craniofacial morphology in the asthmatic children, extension of the head being associated with retrognathic jaws (p<0.01) and posterior inclination of the nasal and mandibular planes (p<0.05). Thus, the results indicated that only severely affected asthmatic children tend to develop retrognathic jaws while altered dentoalveolar relations were seen in the asthma group compared to controls.

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