Dentofacial morphology in professional opera singers

The interaction between muscle function and bone development has been studied mainly in animals. The aim of the present investigation was to study the dentofacial skeleton in individuals with a high degree of activity of muscles associated with the facial skeleton. It was assumed that a professional singer would constitute such an individual. Lateral cephalograms of singers from the Royal Opera Choir in Stockholm were studied and compared with lateral cephalograms of a control group. Significant differences between the singers and controls were found, such as length of mandible, length of maxilla, and increased facial height. The findings could be interpreted as an association between facial muscle hyperactivity and respiratory hyperfunction and dentofacial morphology.