Study of craniofacial morphology and skeletal maturation in juvenile diabetics (Type I)

The aims of this study were to examine the craniofacial morphology of patie nts with juvenile diabetes, to investigate the effects of juvenile diabetes on general growth and skeletal maturation, and to analyze the pattern of a ssociation between craniofacial morphology and skeletal maturation in these patients. The sample consisted of 20 male patients with juvenile diabetes whose ages ranged from 14 to 16 years and who were affected with the condit ion at least 5 years before the study. Twenty normal subjects, with the sam e age range, were chosen as a control group. Height, weight, lateral cephal ometric and hand-wrist radiographs were taken for all subjects, corrected f or magnification distortion, and analyzed. The diabetic patients showed dec reased skeletal maturation and decreased cephalometric linear and angular m easurements when compared with the control group. These results should be c onsidered when diabetic patients require orthodontic or orthopedic treatmen t.