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

This study aims to evaluate the presence of cervical vertebral fusion in individuals with an open bite compared to those without, matched by skeletal relationship, age, and sex.

This matched-comparative study analyzed 234 lateral head radiographs, dividing the subjects into two groups. The open-bite group consisted of 117 patients (69 women and 48 men; average age 24.05 ± 12.5 years), while the control group included an equal number of individuals with a similar gender ratio (average age 23.79 ± 11.95 years). Both groups were matched based on their skeletal relationship, specifically the ANB angle. A trained and calibrated radiologist conducted a visual assessment of the cervical spine using lateral cephalometric radiographs for each subject. The study evaluated the presence of simple fusion and block fusion. Statistical analyses were performed using the Chi-square test and binary logistic regression (p < 0.05).

The incidence of simple fusion was higher in the control group (35%) compared to the open-bite group (26.5%). A small number of cases (2.6%) of block fusion were found only in the anterior open-bite group. However, these differences did not reach statistical significance (p = 0.096). Additionally, no significant influences were identified regarding sex, age, group, or ANB angle (p > 0.05).

There were no differences in the overall prevalence of cervical fusions between individuals with anterior open bite and those without. However, the finding that block fusions occurred exclusively in the open-bite group underscores the importance of evaluating the cervical spine, as it may affect the individual's head position.