Postural disorders and dentofacial morphology

Although the history of opinions regarding poor posture as an etiologic fac tor for deviant dentofacial development and malocclusions is old, very few controlled studies on this topic have been done. Most of the articles are a necdotal or describe subjective clinical impressions. Some studies do prese nt valid material, but unfortunately they often do not provide enough infor mation about the methods for postural recording. Based on selected studies, this review concludes that there is plausible evidence for an increased pr evalence of Angle Class II malocclusions associated with hyperlordosis of t he cervical spine and an increased risk of lateral crossbite in children af fected by scoliosis and torticollis. Also, documentation of associations be tween anterior crowding and head posture seem convincing.