The European Journal of Orthodontics Advance Access published online on September 13, 2009
The European Journal of Orthodontics, doi:10.1093/ejo/cjp081
Bridging of the sella turcica in skeletal Class III subjects
* Department of Orthodontics, Dental Clinic of the Medical Faculty, University of Würzburg, Germany
** Department of Maxillo-Facial-Surgery and Plastic Surgery, Dental Clinic of the Medical Faculty, University of Würzburg, Germany
Address for correspondence Dr Philipp Meyer-Marcotty, Department of Orthodontics, Dental Clinic of the Medical Faculty, University of Würzburg, Pleicherwall 2, D-97070 Würzburg, Germany, E-mail: meyer_P1{at}klinik.uni-wuerzburg.de
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Abstract |
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Several investigations have analysed the frequency of sella turcica anomalies in patients with severe craniofacial deviations. Until now, there have been no studies concerning the prevalence of sella turcica bridging in homogenous groups of patients. Therefore, the aims of this controlled study were to analyse the prevalence of sella turcica bridging and measure the size of the sella turcica in two well-defined groups of Caucasian individuals.
In a multicentre retrospective study, 400 pre-treatment lateral cephalograms of adult patients (over 17 years of age) with a skeletal Class III (n = 250, 132 females and 118 males) or a skeletal Class I (n = 150, 94 females and 56 males) malocclusion were analysed. The morphology, length, depth, and diameter of the sella turcica were investigated. For statistical analysis, chi-square and t-tests were used.
Skeletal Class III patients presented a significantly higher rate of sella turcica bridging, 16.8 per cent (P = 0.031), in comparison with skeletal Class I patients, whose rate was 9.4 per cent. No differences between females and males were detected for the length, depth, and diameter of the sella turcica. Bridging of the sella turcica could be seen radiographically in skeletal Class III subjects.