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Craniofacial morphology in Chinese female twins: a semi-longitudinal cephalometric study

2005; Oxford University Press; Volume: 27; Issue: 6 Linguagem: Inglês

10.1093/ejo/cji059

1460-2210

Jing Peng, Hui Deng, Caifang Cao, Masaaki Ishikawa,

Cleft Lip and Palate Research

It would be of benefit to have a better understanding of the relative effects of genetics and environmental factors on craniofacial parameters when undertaking orthodontic therapy and treatment planning. However, there is a lack of such information in pre-adolescents. The aim of this study was to verify the degree of genetic and environmental contribution to the growth of the facial skeleton in twins aged 6 to 12 years. The material comprised the lateral cephalograms of 89 pairs of female twins in Beijing, China, of whom 61 pairs were diagnosed by DNA analysis as monozygotic (MZ) and 28 pairs as dizygotic (DZ). Four main groups (with a starting age of 6, 7, 9 and 11 years) were studied in a semi-longitudinal manner, with a sub-group further investigated for 2–4 consecutive years. The total sample therefore consisted of 183 pairs (MZ 110, DZ 73) aged from 6 to 12 years. The depths of the cranial base, mid and lower face were measured, as well as anterior and posterior face height.