Bayesian approach to longitudinal craniofacial growth: The Craniofacial Growth Consortium Study

Abstract

Early in the 20th century, a series of studies were initiated across North America to investigate and characterize childhood growth. The Craniofacial Growth Consortium Study (CGCS) combines craniofacial records from six of those growth studies (15,407 lateral cephalograms from 1,913 individuals; 956 females, 957 males, primarily European descent). Standard cephalometric points collected from the six studies in the CGCS allows direct comparison of craniofacial growth patterns across six North American locations. Three assessors collected all cephalometric points and the coordinates were averaged for each point. Twelve measures were calculated from the averaged coordinates. We implemented a multilevel double logistic equation to estimate growth trajectories fitting each trait separately by sex. Using Bayesian inference, we fit three models for each trait with different random effects structures to compare differences in growth patterns among studies. The models successfully identified important growth milestones (e.g., age at peak growth velocity, age at cessation of growth) for most traits. In a small number of cases, these milestones could not be determined due to truncated age ranges for some studies and slow, steady growth in some measurements. Results demonstrate great similarity among the six growth studies regarding craniofacial growth milestone estimates and the overall shape of the growth curve. These similarities suggest minor variation among studies resulting from differences in protocol, sample, or possible geographic variation. The analyses presented support combining the studies into the CGCS without substantial concerns of bias. The CGCS, therefore, provides an unparalleled opportunity to examine craniofacial growth from childhood into adulthood.

Geometric morphometric analysis of growth patterns among facial types

“…The Craniofacial Growth Consortium Study houses longitudinal, lateral cephalograms from 6 historical growth studies in the United States, which sampled populations of primarily European ancestry from 1930-1982. 19 , 20 , 23 A total of 1855 cephalograms from 371 participants (183 females, 188 males) in the Craniofacial Growth Consortium Study were included in this analysis. Each individual had 1 cephalogram taken within each of the following age categories: 6-8, 9-11, 12-14, 15-17, and 18-20 years, for a total of 5 cephalograms per participant.…”

Estimating Craniofacial Growth Cessation: Comparison of Asymptote- and Rate-Based Methods

“…The CGCS consists of lateral cephalograms collected over the course of 6 longitudinal growth studies conducted across North America from 1929 to 1984 (Sherwood et al, 2020). The 6 studies (the Denver Growth Study, the Iowa Growth Study, the Michigan Growth Study, the Fels Longitudinal Study, the Bolton-Brush Growth Study, and the Child Health Study at Oregon Health & Science University) sampled populations of primarily European ancestry in Colorado, Iowa, Michigan, Ohio, and Oregon.…”

“…The 6 studies (the Denver Growth Study, the Iowa Growth Study, the Michigan Growth Study, the Fels Longitudinal Study, the Bolton-Brush Growth Study, and the Child Health Study at Oregon Health & Science University) sampled populations of primarily European ancestry in Colorado, Iowa, Michigan, Ohio, and Oregon. These studies were focused on characterizing unaffected growth and, therefore, did not include participants with craniofacial diagnoses (Sherwood et al, 2020). Two-dimensional coordinate data were collected from a set of standard cephalometric landmarks using eDigit (developed at the Craniofacial Research Instrumentation Laboratory [CRIL], Arthur A. Dugoni School of Dentistry; Baumrind & Miller, 1980).…”

“…These 5 measurements capture vertical and anteroposterior dimensions of multiple craniofacial regions that are expected to exhibit differing patterns of growth. Linear distances were corrected for radiographic enlargement (Sherwood et al, 2020). Statistical analyses were performed on linear measurements from individuals with at least 2 assessments, resulting in sample sizes of 870 to 871 females and 879 to 881 males, with the sample size varying by measurement.…”

“…To address these challenges, the present study uses a large data set from the Craniofacial Growth Consortium Study (CGCS), representing longitudinal growth records from participants aged 3 to more than 27 years (Sherwood et al, 2020). Paired with nonlinear modeling techniques, this sample allows comparison of multiple definitions of growth cessation to determine which methods best suit the requirements of different situations.…”