Mandibular morphology and position in juvenile rheumatoid arthritis. A study on postero-anterior radiographs

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Abstract
Mandibular morphology and position were evaluated in a group of 50 patients with juvenile rheumatoid arthritis (JRA), and in a matched control group, by means of two different postero-anterior radiographs. In the 50 matched pairs, the mean age of the patients was 10.7 years and 10.8 for the controls. Female/male ratio was 2.1/1. The patients showed a statistically significant reduction in maximum mandibular length, in vertical height in the ramus region, in total face height, and in the inclination angle of the mandibular body, as compared to the controls. Both groups showed a systematic, statistically significant right-sided dominance in mandibular breadth and projected mandibular body length. In addition, the patients demonstrated asymmetry tendencies in overall length of the mandible and in vertical height in the ramus region. The differences between patients and controls indicated a failure of increase in vertical dimensions among the patients.