Sagittal Skeletal Relationship and Craniocervical Posture in Peruvian Children

Introduction: Tooth misalignment and malposition are common oral health problems. It is important to evaluate the factors associated with malocclusion in order to observe the behavior of the occlusion. Objective: To determine the association between sagittal skeletal relationship (SR) and craniocervical posture (CP). Materials and methods: This retrospective study evaluated 187 digital lateral radiographs of Peruvian children and the C0–C1 (suboccipital space) and (90 males and 97 females) aged 6–12 years (mean age: 10.16 ± 1.54 years). Sagittal SR included the ANB angle according to Steiner analysis and the anteroposterior dysplasia indicator (APDI) angle (indicator of anteroposterior dysplasia) according to Kim analysis in class I (ANB 0–4°, APDI 78–84°), class II (ANB >4°, APDI <78°), and class III (ANB <0°, APDI >84°). CP was assessed with Rocabado analysis according to the MGP-OP angle (craniocervical rotation) and the CO–C1 (suboccipital space) and H (position of the hyoid bone) distances. ANOVA, Kruskal–Wallis, Spearman correlation, and Pearson’s X² tests were used at p < 0.05. Results: A very low to low significant correlation was found between ANB with MGP-OP (rho = –0.195) and CO–C1 (rho = 0.173) and H (rho = 0.173) and H (rho = 0.164) and between APDI with MGP-OP (rho = 0.176) and H (rho = –0.161) (p < 0.028). A greater H distance was associated with APDI class II (p = 0.021) and a lower MGP-OP value was related to ANB and APDI class II, especially in girls (p ≤ 0.004). Conclusion: CP was associated with the sagittal SR, showing an extended posture in class II compared to other skeletal classes. Clinical significance: Cephalometric study of CP should be performed at early ages to determine the skeletal class associated with an unfavorable inclination.