Related Experiment Video
Updated: Jan 12, 2026
Author Spotlight: Three-Dimensional Cephalometric Landmark Annotation Demonstration on Human Cone Beam Computed Tomography Scans
Published on: September 8, 2023
Relationship between sella turcica morphology and dentofacial anomaly - a three-dimensional analysis
Bernhard Wiechens1, Annika N Füllgrabe2, Christian Dullin3
1Department of Orthodontics, University Medical Center Göttingen, Robert-Koch-Str. 40, 37075, Göttingen, Germany. bernhard.wiechens@med.uni-goettingen.de.
Background:
This cohort study aimed to evaluate the relationship between sella turcica (ST) morphology and dentofacial anomalies three-dimensionally (3D).
Methods:
Cone beam computed tomograms (CBCTs) and computed tomography scans (CTs) of 90 adults (46 women; age 28.1 ± 11.3 years) were analyzed. Dentofacial anomalies were evaluated (1) sagittally regarding skeletal classes (Wits appraisal), (2) vertically regarding the inclination of the jaws (maxillomandibular plane angle), and (3) transversally regarding skeletal symmetry (menton deviation from midsagittal plane). Sella morphology was assessed (a) linearly by ST-length, -width, -height, -diameter, and position to nasofrontal suture (CB); and (b) volumetrically by total, anterior, and posterior volume (Vol_T, Vol-A, Vol_P). Five porcine skulls were scanned by CBCT, CT, and micro-CT for method validation.
Results:
CBCT and CT both underestimated the ST volume compared to the volume measured with micro-CT. ST morphology differed significantly between the skeletal classes. Individuals with skeletal class I showed higher ST length than participants with skeletal class II (p = .024). Vol_T and Vol_A were higher in class II than in class III (p = .047; p = .019). Vol_A correlated with the Wits appraisal (r = .337, p < .001). Vertical and transversal jaw relation showed no correlation with ST variables. ST-width and CB were significantly higher in men than women (p = .004; p < .001).
Conclusion:
3D-diagnostics of ST morphology enabled conclusions about underlying dentofacial anomalies. Vol_A seemed to be a relevant marker based on its correlation and class-specific volumes. Future research could help to identify this as prognostic factor of developing anomalies.
More Related Videos
Related Concept Videos
01:27Cranial Bones: Lateral View
The temporal bone forms the lower lateral side of the skull. The temporal bone is subdivided into several regions. The flattened upper portion is the squamous portion of the temporal bone. Below this area and projecting anteriorly is the zygomatic process of the temporal bone, which forms the posterior portion of the zygomatic arch. Posteriorly is the mastoid portion of the temporal bone. Projecting...
01:22Sutures of the Skull
Sutures are immobile joints between adjacent bones of the skull. The narrow gap between the bones is filled with dense, fibrous connective tissue that unites the bones. The long sutures located between the skull bones are not straight but instead follow irregular, tightly twisting paths. These twisting lines tightly...
01:14Cranial Bones: Superior and Posterior View
The frontal bone is the single bone that forms the forehead. At its anterior midline, between the eyebrows, there is a slight depression called the glabella. The frontal bone also forms the supraorbital margin of the orbit. Near the middle of this margin is the supraorbital foramen, the opening that provides passage for a sensory nerve to the forehead. The frontal bone is thickened just above each supraorbital margin,...