Radiological study on mandibular ramus asymmetry in young population

Background: The aim of this study was to estimate the prevalence of ramus asymmetries related to age and gender in a young population and the influence of growth spurt on ramus asymmetry. Materials and methods: The study consisted of 776 panoramic radiographs of individuals aged 9 to 21 years (335 males and 441 females). Individuals were divided into two groups with respect of linear growth spurt as age 12 in females and age 14 in males. The first group consisted of females aged between 9 and 11 and males between 9 and 13. The second group consisted of females aged between 12 and 21 and males between 14 and 21. Bilateral ramus heights on each radiograph were measured. A panoramic software programme was used to measure the ramus heights. Quantitative data was tested by Student's t test. Qualitative data was tested by chi(2) test. The intraclass correlation coefficient was calculated for the magnitude error of the measurement. Results: The mean of ramus asymmetry was found to be 2.90% +/- 2.58%. Significant differences between the right and left ramus height ratios were observed (p < 0.01). There was a high prevalence (10.8%) of ramus asymmetry, which did not correlate with the age and gender of the patients. Conclusions: This study revealed a high prevalence of ramus asymmetry in 9-21-year-old population. Within the limitations of this study, it can be concluded that ramus asymmetry should be carefully evaluated in all ages for the potential relation with temporomandibular dysfunctions and also for orthodontic anomalies.