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Characteristics of 2733 cases diagnosed with deformational plagiocephaly and changes in risk factors over time

Christy M McKinney1, Michael L Cunningham, Victoria L Holt

  • 1School of Public Health, University of Texas-Houston, Dallas Regional Campus, 5323 Harry Hines Boulevard, Dallas, TX 75390, USA. christy.mckinney@utsouthwestern.edu

The Cleft Palate-Craniofacial Journal : Official Publication of the American Cleft Palate-Craniofacial Association
|March 13, 2008
PubMed

Insights

Risk factors for infant plagiocephaly, such as being a multiple birth or having an older mother, increased after 1992. These findings suggest supine sleeping recommendations may influence plagiocephaly development.

Area of Science:

  • Pediatric Health
  • Craniofacial Development
  • Public Health Recommendations

Background:

  • Deformational plagiocephaly is a common condition in infants.
  • The American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) issued sleep-position recommendations in 1992.
  • Understanding trends in plagiocephaly risk factors is crucial for public health.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To characterize infant and maternal factors associated with plagiocephaly.
  • To analyze temporal changes in potential plagiocephaly risk factors post-1992.

Main Methods:

  • A case-only study design was employed.
  • Infants diagnosed with plagiocephaly or brachycephaly between 1987-2002 were included (n=2733).
  • Characteristics were compared between infants born before (1987-1990) and after (1991-2002) the AAP recommendations.

Main Results:

  • Infants born 1991-2002 showed increased odds of being from multiple births (OR 3.4) and having mothers aged 35+ (OR 3.2).
  • These infants had decreased odds of prolonged birth hospitalization (OR 0.02).
  • Occipital flattening was present in 91.6% and brachycephaly in 17.2% of infants born 1991-2002.

Conclusions:

  • Risk factors for plagiocephaly became more prevalent after the 1992 AAP sleep-position recommendations.
  • Findings support the hypothesis that supine sleeping influences the relationship between risk factors and plagiocephaly.
  • Further controlled studies are recommended for validation.
Abstract

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