Scoliosis and dental occlusion: a review of the literature

Abstract

BackgroundIdiopathic scoliosis is a deformity without clear etiology. It is unclear wether there is an association between malocclusion and scoliosis. Several types of occlusion were described in subjects with scoliosis, mostly case-reports.ObjectivesThe aim of this review was to evaluate the type of occluslins more prevalent in subjects with scoliosisSearch strategyAll randomised and controlled clinical trials identified from the Cochrane Oral Health Group Trials Register, a MEDLINE search using the Mesh term scoliosis, malocclusion, and relevant free text words, and the bibliographies of papers and review articles which reported the outcome of orthodontic treatment in subjects with scoliosis that were published as abstracts or papers between 1970 and 2010.Selection criteriaAll randomised and controlled clinical trials published as full papers or abstracts which reported quantitative data on the outcomes malocclusion in subjects with scoliosis.Data collection and analysisData were extracted without blinding to the authors, age of patients or type of occlusion.Main resultsUsing the search strategy eleven observational longitudinal studies were identified. No randomized clinical trials were recorded. Twenty-three cross-sectional studies were recorderd, and the others studies were reviews, editorials, case-reports, or opinions. The clinical trials were often not controlled and were about the cephalometric evaluation after treatment with the modified Milwuakee brace, followed by the orthodontic treatment of the class II relationship with a functional appliance. Clinical trials also included the study of the associations between scoliosis and unilateral crossbite, in children with asymmetry of the upper cervical spine. This association was also investigated in rats, pigs and rabbits in clinical trials. The other associations between scoliosis and occlusion seems to be based only on cross-sectional studies, case-reports, opinions.Authors' conclusionsBased on selected studies, this review concludes that there is plausible evidence for an increased prevalence of unilateral Angle Class II malocclusions associated with scoliosis, and an increased risk of lateral crossbite, midline deviation in children affected by scoliosis. Also, documentation of associations between reduced range of lateral movements and scoliosis seem convincing. Data are also mentioned about the association between plagiocephaly and scoliosis.

Orofacial characteristics of adolescents with diagnosed spinal disorders

“…This study is also based on those methods because of the practical reasons cited. Based on previous results in the SC group showing the dominance of dentofacial asymmetry, in the MSCH group the sagittal and vertical alterations caused by the forward-tilted head posture and an increase in the number of TMJ abnormalities were expected [3,7,14] . After the evaluation, in most cases our values were similar to those of previous studies; however, some exceptions were found.…”

“…Mainly, postural anomalies that could contribute to the development of different dentofacial anomalies and later to the sustenance thereof by chronic infl uence on head posture are highlighted [3,16] . Thus, orthopedic disorders that mainly manifest in the pathological curves of the spine become very important [11,14] . According to literature sources, the frequency of the different occlusion deformations malocclusions is 83 -87 % in the orthopedic patient group [5] .…”

Manual Therapy in the Treatment of Idiopathic Scoliosis. Analysis of Current Knowledge

“…These include electrical stimulation, massage, various forms of manual therapy, chiropractic, osteopathy, inserts for correcting discrepancy in lower limb length or correction of occlusal abnormalities [10][11][12][13][14][15]. Manual therapy, chiropractic and oste opathy in particular are attracting more and more interest, which may result from an increasing number of physiotherapists learning these methods as well as from a limited trust in the efficacy of conventional treatment [10,16,17].…”

“…Można tu wymienić elektrostymulację, masaż, różne formy terapii manualnej, chiropraktykę, osteopatię, wkładki korygujące asymetrię długo-ści kończyn dolnych czy korekcję wad zgryzu [10][11][12][13][14][15]. Szczególnie terapia manualna, chiropraktyka oraz osteopatia cieszą się w ostatnim czasie coraz większą popularnością, co może wynikać z jednej strony z rosnącej liczby fizjoterapeutów szkolących się w tych metodach, jak również z ograniczonego za u fania do skuteczności tradycyjnego leczenia [10,16,17].…”

Approach to and Evaluation of Sleep Disorders

“…grade I, tonsils are inside the tonsillar fossa lateral to the posterior pillars; grade II, tonsils occupy 25% of the oropharynx; grade III, tonsils occupy 50% of the oropharynx; and grade IV, tonsils occupy at least 75% of the 19 have shown that patients with OSA have significantly increased neck circumference compared to nonapneic snorers; greater distribution of neck fat may contribute to mass loading on the upper airway in patients with OSA. 21 Overjet, as shown in Figure 2-7, 12 is the horizontal distance between the upper right central incisor and the buccal surface of the corresponding lower tooth, while overbite is the vertical distance between these two points. 19 A neck circumference greater than 40 cm (15.7 in) has been shown to be predictive of OSA with 61% sensitivity and 93% specificity, regardless of sex.…”