Female Predominance and Effect of Gender on Unilateral Condylar Hyperplasia: A Review and Meta-Analysis

Purpose: The objective of this review and meta-analysis was to determine the existence and extent of the predominance of women among patients with unilateral condylar hyperplasia (UCH). Furthermore, we examined the laterality of UCH in women and men from international study populations. Materials and Methods: We performed a review using a standardized search strategy and meta-analysis. Results: We included 10 studies in this review, with a total of 275 UCH patients. The meta-analysis showed a clear predominance of female patients in the UCH study populations; the pooled proportion of female patients was 0.64 (95% confidence interval [CI], 0.58-0.70; n = 275 patients). The pooled percentage of female patients with left-sided UCH was 42% (95% CI, 34%-51%; n = 138), whereas 45% (95% CI, 33%-57%; n = 74) of male patients had left-sided UCH (P = .69 for female patients vs male patients). Conclusions: Female UCH patients outnumber male UCH patients in international study populations; therefore female gender may be considered a risk factor for UCH. We found no evidence of an association between laterality of UCH and gender: male patients and female patients have an almost equal distribution of left-and right-sided UCH. (C) 2012 American Association of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgeons J Oral Maxillofac Surg 70: e72-e76, 2012