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LOESS-Based Cephalometric Growth Curves for Clinical Assessment of Craniofacial Development: A Cross-Sectional Study
Luis Pablo Cruz-Hervert1,2, Luis Cruz-Chávez1, Jeta Kiseri-Kubati3
1División de Estudios de Posgrado e Investigación, Facultad de Odontología, Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México, Coyoacan, Ciudad de México 04510, Mexico.
Dentistry Journal
|May 26, 2026
Summary
Growth trajectories in children aged 5-20 show upward trends in craniofacial measurements during childhood, followed by a plateau around age 12-14. These findings provide a reference for evaluating pediatric craniofacial growth.
Area of Science:
- Orthodontics and Craniofacial Biology
- Pediatric Growth and Development
- Biostatistics and Data Analysis
Background:
- Understanding craniofacial growth patterns is crucial for diagnosing and treating developmental abnormalities.
- Existing growth charts often lack detailed percentile curves for specific cephalometric variables.
- Locally Estimated Scatterplot Smoothing (LOESS) offers a robust method for modeling complex growth trajectories.
Purpose of the Study:
- To estimate LOESS-smoothed percentile curves for craniofacial growth trajectories in children aged 5-20.
- To evaluate age-related tendencies and identify periods of significant growth change across different cephalometric variables.
- To provide clinicians with a visual, data-driven reference for assessing pediatric craniofacial development.
Main Methods:
- Cross-sectional analysis of 1147 patient records (648 females, 469 males) aged 5-20 years.
- Measurement and categorization of 27 cephalometric variables into six domains (cranial base, maxillary, mandibular, occlusal, vertical, sagittal).
- Application of LOESS regression to generate percentile curves across the 5-20 year age range.
Main Results:
- LOESS curves revealed distinct age-related trends for various craniofacial measurements.
- Cranial base and maxillary measurements showed upward trends from 5-12 years, followed by a plateau.
- Mandibular growth, occlusal plane, and vertical dimensions exhibited similar patterns, stabilizing around age 12-14, with forward mandibular progression noted.
Conclusions:
- Craniofacial measurements generally follow a childhood growth spurt with stabilization in mid-adolescence (approx. 12-14 years).
- The generated percentile curves serve as a valuable clinical tool for evaluating individual pediatric craniofacial growth.
- This study provides population-level approximations of growth trajectories using cross-sectional data for enhanced clinical decision-making.
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