Relationship between skeletal Class II and Class III malocclusions with vertical skeletal pattern

OBJECTIVE: The purpose of this study was to establish the association between sagittal and vertical skeletal patterns and assess which cephalometric variables contribute to the possibility of developing skeletal Class II or Class III malocclusion. METHODS: Cross-sectional study. The sample included pre-treatment lateral cephalogram radiographs from 548 subjects (325 female, 223 male) aged 18 to 66 years. Sagittal skeletal pattern was established by three different classification parameters (ANB angle, Wits and App-Bpp) and vertical skeletal pattern by SN-Mandibular plane angle. Cephalometric variables were measured using Dolphin software (Imaging and Management Solutions, Chatsworth, Calif, USA) by a previously calibrated operator. The statistical analysis was carried out with Chi-square test, ANOVA/Kruskal-Wallis test, and an ordinal multinomial regression model. RESULTS: Evidence of association (p< 0.05) between sagittal and vertical skeletal patterns was found with a greater proportion of hyperdivergent skeletal pattern in Class II malocclusion using three parameters to assess the vertical pattern, and there was more prevalent hypodivergence in Class III malocclusion, considering ANB and App-Bpp measurements. Subjects with hyperdivergent skeletal pattern (odds ratio [OR]=1.85-3.65), maxillary prognathism (OR=2.67-24.88) and mandibular retrognathism (OR=2.57-22.65) had a significantly (p< 0.05) greater chance of developing skeletal Class II malocclusion. Meanwhile, subjects with maxillary retrognathism (OR=2.76-100.59) and mandibular prognathism (OR=5.92-21.50) had a significantly (p< 0.05) greater chance of developing skeletal Class III malocclusion. CONCLUSIONS: A relationship was found between Class II and Class III malocclusion with the vertical skeletal pattern. There is a tendency toward skeletal compensation with both vertical and sagittal malocclusions.