Vertebral Cervical Fusion in Individuals with and without Open Bite: A Comparative Matched Study

Area of Science:

• Orthodontics
• Radiology
• Anatomy

Background:

• Cervical vertebral fusion is a congenital anomaly.
• Anterior open bite is a malocclusion with complex etiology.
• The relationship between cervical vertebral fusion and anterior open bite is not well-established.

Purpose of the Study:

• To compare the prevalence of cervical vertebral fusion in individuals with anterior open bite versus a matched control group.
• To investigate the types of cervical vertebral fusion (simple and block) present in each group.

Main Methods:

• A matched-comparative study of 234 lateral head radiographs.
• Two groups: 117 anterior open-bite patients and 117 matched controls (skeletal relationship, age, sex).
• Radiographic assessment of cervical spine for simple and block fusion, analyzed using Chi-square and logistic regression.

Main Results:

• No statistically significant difference in overall simple or block cervical fusion prevalence between groups (p=0.096).
• Block fusions were found exclusively in the anterior open-bite group (2.6%).
• No significant influence of sex, age, group, or ANB angle on fusion prevalence.

Conclusions:

• The overall prevalence of cervical vertebral fusion does not differ between individuals with and without anterior open bite.
• The exclusive occurrence of block fusions in the open-bite group suggests a potential association and warrants further investigation.
• Cervical spine evaluation is important in patients with anterior open bite due to potential implications on head posture.