Anterior crossbite in the primary dentition: proposal for a new analytical method in children

The aim of this study was to clarify the features of profiles of patients with anterior crossbite in early childhood, using a new method of analysis. Lateral cephalograms of 139 (68 males; 71 females) untreated child patients with anterior crossbite in the primary dentition were assessed. The patients were aged from 3 to 5 years. To evaluate disharmony between the maxilla and the mandible, a proprietary calculating system, the Theoretical Individualized Profile drawing System (TIPS), was applied. Using this system, individualized standard cephalometric values were obtained for normal occlusion. This standard profile, which was harmonized with the cranial base structure of each patient, was compared with the child's original profile. The sizes of the mandibles in the children with anterior crossbite, subclassified into three age groups (3, 4, and 5 years) were greater, both horizontally and vertically, than those in the mean profiles derived from TIPS. The vertical size of the maxilla was smaller than that derived from TIPS in the patients aged 3 years. In contrast, in the patients aged 5 years, the vertical size of the maxilla was larger than that derived from TIPS. These results suggest that, in children with anterior crossbite, the vertical growth of the maxilla is closely related to the variation of morphological conditions with development.