A cephalometric comparison of children with Down's Syndrome and their normal siblings

Abstract

The mongoloid face and craniofacial skeleton has been characterized by many investigators using clinical impressions and soft tissue measurements on living and autopsy material. Few studies have included data derived from cephalometric radiographs. The present study was designed to describe the mongoloid face and cranial base and to analyze the data. Twenty mongoloid children ranging in age from three years to 12 years, and their siblings were selected for study. A control group of children were selected on the basis of their essentially normal occlusion and facial skeleton. The data obtained from the cephalometric radiographs were analyzed in three ways. Each of the three groups of children, normal, mongoloid and their siblings were divided into four age groups, approximately three, five, seven and 11 years of age and means for the individual measurements were calculated. The sibling measurements were "corrected” to the age of the mongoloid child using the growth progression data from the normal children. The mean measurements of the “corrected” siblings and mongoloids were then compared using “t” tests for statistical significance. All children were then divided into three comparison pairs, normal-sibling, normal-mongoloid, and mongoloid-sibling, and the cephalometric measurements subjected to a multivariate, step-wise regression analysis. The growth of the maxillae and mandible were retarded in the Mongoloid children. The maxilla and mandible were positioned anteriorly under the cranial base.