[Etiopathogenic and clinical aspects of asymmetry]

Complex dysmorphies, asymmetries can affect the various elements of the stomatognathic system: cranial base, maxilla, mandible, musculature and dental arches, in the three dimensions of space. Their etiopathogenesis, as well as their clinical forms, vary considerably. Dysembryopathies, growth disorders, TMJ damages, postural or functional disorders and dental anomalies can create, according to their severity and their moment of appearance, severe or minor facial asymmetries, or asymmetries of the arches. An exo- and endobuccal clinical examination endeavors to specify the localization and the severity of the damage, and to evaluate the importance of the possible alveolar compensations. Consolidated by additional examinations, it enables the clinician to differentiate the various forms of asymmetries.