CRANIOFACIAL STRUCTURE IN CHILDREN WITH JUVENILE CHRONIC ARTHRITIS (JCA) COMPARED WITH HEALTHY-CHILDREN WITH IDEAL OR POSTNORMAL OCCLUSION

The aim of the present study was to evaluate the influence of condylar destruction on the craniofacial growth of children with juvenile chro nic arthritis (JCA) and to compare their craniofacial structure with t hat of healthy children with ideal or postnormal occulsion. Thirty-fiv e children (7 to 16 years) affected by JCA were compared with 136 chil dren (7 to 16 years) with normal facial structure and occlusion (ideal group) and 62 children (7 to 12 years) with postnormal occlusion (pos tnormal group). Panoramic radiographs and lateral cephalograms were ta ken to detect condylar lesions and analyze facial structure. Multiple regression analysis was applied to test the possible relationships bet ween the groups. The present study largely confirms earlier findings t hat the JCA group has a characteristic craniofacial structure. Their s tructure differed not only from the facial characteristics of children with ideal, but also to some extent, from children with postnormal oc clusion. Furthermore, the craniofacial structure of children with JCA varied greatly, and radiographs showed that the most extreme craniofac ial changes, particularly the mandibular structure, were associated wi th condylar lesions. In conclusion, the arthritic condylar lesions see m to be the main etiologic reason for the altered facial structure and changes in the occlusion in children with JCA. Influences of other fa ctors, such as masticatory muscular function, are also discussed.