[Height growth velocity and orthodontic treatment timing]

The auxologic evaluation, by periodic measurements of the height of children and the comparison of the values obtained with standard curves of growth, is a common practice for the pediatrician providing a precise indication on the general course of the growth and on the presence of possible growth pathologies. In fact, decelerations or pathological accelerations of growth can be a suspicious sign of endocrine, metabolic, genetic, gastric or tumoral diseases. The use of some growth variables and particularly the evaluation of the kinetics of statural height growth, should enter the daily practice of the orthodontist. In fact, the correspondence among peaks of statural and mandibular growth allows the orthodontist to choose the suitable time to intervene with the therapy aimed to stimulate the growth of the jaws. In this paper the authors report 2 orthodontic cases characterized by a malocclusion due to mandibular deficiency, in which the integration of the orthodontic and pediatric competences, through the use of the curves of the speed of growth and other growth variables, has allowed to reach optimal results, having achieved normal skeletal and occlusal relationships in the shorter time. The periodic measurement of height growth velocity represents a simple and safe method that allows to evaluate the kinetics of growth in children, with the remarkable advantage, unlike radiological examinations, to be repeated without any risk for the patient.