Craniofacial growth and the dentition.
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abstract
A knowledge of the mechanism and pattern of normal craniofacial growth and development must be coupled with an understanding of how this information can be applied to the individual patient commonly seen in a pediatric practice. Physicians need to be aware that the ability of an orthodontist to successfully treat a skeletal malocclusion is greater in patients who are growing. Since the pediatrician may be the only health-care provider to see a child during the growing years, the early recognition and referral of patients manifesting abnormal growth patterns (for example, retrognathic or prognathic mandibles, open or deep bites, short or long faces) can be a major factor in an orthodontist's ability to achieve a significant modification of the patient's facial growth pattern. The ability to predict the extent and direction of craniofacial growth with the accuracy necessary to achieve clinical significance has been an area of major interest to those involved in treatment of the craniofacial complex. It is the objective of this chapter to discuss the patterns of growth of the craniofacial complex, the effect of this growth on the dentition, and to describe the current research in craniofacial growth prediction.
