Dental development and craniofacial morphology in school-age children

•The rate of dental development was positively associated with sagittal and vertical growth of the dentofacial structures. •Children with above-average dental development showed a tendency toward Class II jaw relationship. •The rate of dental development was positively associated with the lip protrusion. •Children with above-average dental development showed a tendency toward proclination of incisors. Introduction The growth of the craniofacial complex is important for establishing a balanced relationship among the teeth, jaws, and other facial structures. However, there is still a lack of information about craniofacial parameters that are affected by the rate of dental development. The aim of this study was to investigate the association between dental development and craniofacial morphology in school-age children. Methods This study was embedded in the Generation R Study, Rotterdam, The Netherlands. In 3,896 children aged 8 to 11 years, dental development was assessed from panoramic radiographs and craniofacial morphology was assessed by combining cephalometric parameters into 9 uncorrelated principal components, each representing a distinct skeletal or dental craniofacial pattern. The statistical analysis was performed using linear and nonlinear regression model. Results Dental development was positively associated with the bimaxillary growth (β = 0.04; 95% CI 0.01 to 0.08). Children with above-average dental development had a tendency toward Class II jaw relationship (β = −0.08; 95% CI −0.13 to −0.04). Regarding dental parameters, the proclination increased for incisors and lips with advanced dental development (β = 0.15 [95% CI 0.10 to 0.19] and β = 0.13 [95% CI 0.09 to 0.17], respectively), but the incisor proclination remained more pronounced in children that had above-average dental development. Conclusions The findings of this large population-based study show that dental development is associated with specific dental and skeletal cephalometric characteristics in school-age children. Further longitudinal studies are necessary to confirm the observed effects over time.