3D CBCT analysis of cranial base morphology and its relationship to skeletal malocclusion

Determining the etiology of skeletal malocclusion is an important diagnostic step in treatment planning patients with maxillofacial anomalies.Methods: With IRB approval, retrospective analysis was performed on CBCT scans for 40 adult subjects. Cranial flexure and cranial deflection angle were analyzed in relation to three AP variables using linear regression analysis.Results: There were no significant correlations between the cranial base and AP variables. This study can neither confirm that there is a correlation between the cranial base morphology and skeletal malocclusion nor definitively state that there isn't one.Conclusions: Correlations on the sample between the cranial base and AP variables were unable to be determined. A prospective study design to control for more variables is recommended to further study the questions that remain unanswered from this study.Aims: To describe cranial base morphology using cone beam computed tomography (CBCT) images and correlate with the Antero-posterior (AP) jaw discrepancy.