Craniofacial growth spurt in Class I subjects

Area of Science:

• Orthodontics
• Craniofacial Growth
• Skeletal Maturation

Background:

• Class I subjects with balanced anteroposterior jaw relationships were studied.
• Growth spurt prediction is crucial in orthodontics for treatment timing.
• Cervical vertebral maturation (CVM) is a method used to assess skeletal age.

Purpose of the Study:

• To evaluate the predictability of maxillary (Co-A) and mandibular (Co-Pog) length growth spurts using cervical vertebral maturation (CVM).
• To correlate CVM stages with peak growth velocity in Class I subjects.

Main Methods:

• Longitudinal lateral cephalographs from 14 males and 12 females (ages 9-15) were analyzed.
• Cervical vertebral maturation (CVM) method, dividing skeletal maturation into 6 stages, was applied.
• Growth increments were calculated to assess the diagnostic performance of the CVM method.

Main Results:

• In males, peak Co-Pog was most frequently observed during CVM3-CVM4 (50%), and peak Co-A during CVM2-CVM3 (50%).
• In females, peak Co-Pog and Co-A were most frequently observed during CVM2-CVM3 (58% and 50%, respectively).
• The fewest growth peaks were detected in the CVM4-CVM5 interval for both sexes.

Conclusions:

• CVM stage 3 indicates the peak of the growth spurt in Class I subjects.
• CVM stage 2 suggests the growth spurt has not yet occurred.
• Cervical vertebral shapes in CVM2 can help differentiate between early CVM2 and impending CVM3.