Intentional cranial deformations (ICD) have been observed worldwide but are especially prevalent in preColombian cultures. The purpose of this study was to assess the consequences of ICD on three cranial cavities (intracranial cavity, orbits, and maxillary sinuses) and on cranial vault thickness, in order to screen for morphological changes due to the external constraints exerted by the deformation device. We acquired CT-scans for 39 deformed and 19 control skulls. We studied the thickness of the skull vault using qualitative and quantitative methods. We computed the volumes of the orbits, of the maxillary sinuses, and of the intracranial cavity using haptic-aided semi-automatic segmentation. We finally defined 3D distances and angles within orbits and maxillary sinuses based on 27 anatomical landmarks and measured these features on the 58 skulls. Our results show specific bone thickness patterns in some types of ICD, with localized thinning in regions subjected to increased pressure and thickening in other regions. Our findings confirm that volumes of the cranial cavities are not affected by ICDs but that the shapes of the orbits and of the maxillary sinuses are modified in circumferential deformations. We conclude that ICDs can modify the shape of the cranial cavities and the thickness of their walls but conserve their volumes. These results provide new insights into the morphological effects associated with ICDs and call for similar investigations in subjects with deformational plagiocephalies and craniosynostoses.
left lip and cleft palate are the most common congenital orofacial deformities, affecting one in 1000 births in Europe. 1 Patients with cleft lip and/or cleft palate need medical care as newborns, throughout their childhood and adolescence, and until early adulthood, coordinated by a multidisciplinary team involving surgeons and dental practitioners.Several dental anomalies are often associated with this deformity. 2 Maxillary lateral incisor agenesis or hypoplasia is the most frequent for patients with cleft lip and/or palate. [3][4][5][6][7][8] Maxillary lateral incisors are often missing because of agenesis or extraction and the orthodontist and surgeon collaborate to plan the best option to manage the gap left by the missing incisors.The first option is orthodontic gap closure. This treatment brings the homolateral canine
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