title: Correlation between dento-skeletal characteristics and craniomandibular disorders in growing children and adolescent orthodontic patients: retrospective case-control study.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  The aim of this retrospective case-control study was to identify, in a group of growing children and adolescents affected by malocclusion, specific dento-skeletal characteristics which could be correlated to the onset, in the above-mentioned subjects, of craniomandibular disorders (CMD).
  
  
  METHODS
  Among the patients treated at the Paedodontics and Orthodontics department of Bari Dental School, we recruited a group of patients with malocclusion and symptoms of temporomandibular disorders, as an experimental group. We considered as controls those patients who, match-paired to their skeletal class depending on the ANB angle, did not show any CMD sign or symptom.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Of the 128 examined patients, 15 showed signs and/or symptoms of CMD (11.7%). When compared to 15 patients non-affected by CMD, we could not detect statistically significant differences in both skeletal and occlusal characteristics. It is still interesting to notice how in CMD patients, characteristics of skeletal hyperdivergence are often to be found.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The present study seems to confirm that in growing children and adolescents, the presence of signs and/or symptoms of CMD is not associable to a specific vertical skeletal growth pattern or to other specific occlusal characteristics.
authors.affiliation: Interdisciplinary Department of Medicine (DIM) - Section of Dentistry, University "Aldo Moro" of Bari, Bari, Italy.
authors.forename: D
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: DI Venere
authors.affiliation: Department of Medical Sciences, University of Ferrara, Ferrara, Italy.
authors.forename: R M
authors.initials: RM
authors.lastname: Gaudio
authors.affiliation: Interdisciplinary Department of Medicine (DIM) - Section of Dentistry, University "Aldo Moro" of Bari, Bari, Italy.
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Laforgia
authors.affiliation: Interdisciplinary Department of Medicine (DIM) - Section of Dentistry, University "Aldo Moro" of Bari, Bari, Italy.
authors.forename: G
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Stefanachi
authors.affiliation: Interdisciplinary Department of Medicine (DIM) - Section of Dentistry, University "Aldo Moro" of Bari, Bari, Italy.
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Tafuri
authors.affiliation: Interdisciplinary Department of Medicine (DIM) - Section of Dentistry, University "Aldo Moro" of Bari, Bari, Italy.
authors.forename: F
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Pettini
authors.affiliation: Departimento de Estomatologia, University of Valencia, Valencia, Spain.
authors.forename: F
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Silvestre
authors.affiliation: Interdisciplinary Department of Medicine (DIM) - Section of Dentistry, University "Aldo Moro" of Bari, Bari, Italy.
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Petruzzi
authors.affiliation: Interdisciplinary Department of Medicine (DIM) - Section of Dentistry, University "Aldo Moro" of Bari, Bari, Italy.
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Corsalini
keywords: growth; joint; occlusion; orthodontic; pain