Capability of orthodontists to predict craniofacial growth trend using morphological analysis of lateral teleradiographies

Vol. 15 – Number 58 – 2022 Original article Page 73-81 Capability of orthodontists to predict craniofacial growth trend using morphological analysis of lateral teleradiographies Amanda Felix Gonçalves Tomaz¹ Itanielly Dantas Silveira Cruz¹ Hallissa Simplício Gomes Pereira¹ Sergei Godeiro Fernandes Rabelo Caldas¹ Patrícia Teixeira de Oliveira¹ Arthur César de Medeiros Alves¹ Abstract Objective: To assess orthodontist’s capability to predict the craniofacial growth trend by observing the morphology of anatomical structures in lateral cephalograms. Materials and Methods: Three lateral cephalograms representing each growth trend (vertical, balanced, and horizontal) were selected. The lateral cephalograms were digitized and cut in the regions of the mandible head, mandible ramus, gonial angle, mandibular plane, mandibular notch, mandibular symphysis, occlusal plane and interincisal angle in order to centralize the condy- lar process. An electronic questionnaire comprised by the edited images and the complete cephalograms was applied to 105 orthodontists divided into three study groups according to the orthodontic practice time. The orthodontists should define which was the growth trend that the radiographic images suggested by the observation of the anatomic structures highlighted. Results: The orthodontists demonstrated a poor degree of agreement for the mandible head in the horizontal growth trend. An almost perfect agreement was observed for the gonial angle and the mandibular plane in the vertical trend, for the mandibular notch and the mandibular plane in the horizontal trend, and when all anatomic structures were analyzed in complete cephalograms. No significant intergroup differences were observed. Conclusion: The orthodontists showed different degrees of agreement in the morphological analysis of lateral cephalograms depending on the anatomical structure and the craniofacial growth trend analyzed. Clinical implications: Prediction of craniofacial growth trend through observation of anatomical structures on lateral cephalograms seems to be an alternative diagnostic tool for cephalometric analysis. Descriptors: Orthodontics, cephalometry, growth and development, diagnosis. ¹ Department of Dentistry – UFRN. DOI: 10.24077/2022;1558-0187636