A longitudinal study of vertical growth of craniofacial complex in female children with normal occlusion from 7 to 12 years old / 中华口腔医学杂志

ABSTRACT

<p><b>OBJECTIVE</b>To find the laws of vertical growth of craniofacial complex in children with mixed dentition.</p><p><b>METHODS</b>19 female children were annually observed with cephalometric film in 4 successive years, of whom 10 started at 7 years while the others at age of 9. The two groups were longitudinally studied. All data were analyzed by SPSS 8.0 software.</p><p><b>RESULTS</b>In the observation period, the height of most craniofacial regions continually grew. In anterior face, the middle facial height increased most (increased 4.7 mm from 7 to 10 years old, P < 0.01; increased 3.9 mm from 10 to 12 years old, P < 0.01), while the lower facial height nearly unchanged (increased 1.3 mm from 7 to 10 years old, P > 0.05; increased 1.4 mm from 10 to 12 years old, P > 0.05). Some other regions had their own growing characters.</p><p><b>CONCLUSIONS</b>Once the occlusal relationships of permanent incisors are established, it is difficult to control the anterior lower facial height with orthodontic treatments.</p>