Volumetric and Morphological Analysis of Mandibular Condyles of Angle Class 2 and 3 Malocclusion Patients.

ABSTRACT This study was conducted to provide diametric and volumetric data of mandibular condyles from patients with Angle class 2 and 3 malocclusions by semiautomatic segmentation based upon cone-beam computed tomography.Cone-beam computed tomography images of 79 patients were analyzed. By using the open-source software "ITK-SNAP", diametric and volumetric measurements of 158 mandibular condyles were performed. Descriptive statistics were calculated for all normally distributed variables. Correlations between patients with Angle class 2 and 3 were calculated with the independent Student t test. P values P < 0.05 were considered significant.Irrespective of the side, patients with class 2 malocclusion showed smaller mandibular condyles (right: 1.128 ± 0.504 cm3; left: 1.222 ± 0.596 cm3) than patients with class 3 (right: 1.504 ± 0.361 cm3; left: 1.493 ± 0.335 cm3). These results were reproducible also in accordance with the diametric measurement (class 2 right: 16.75 ± 2.72 mm; left: 17.04 ± 3.01 mm) (class 3 right: 18.24 ± 2.54 mm; left: 18.32 ± 2.13 mm). However, volumetric differences were highly statistically significant (right: P = 0.001; left: P = 0.018) while diametric differences were slightly significant for the right and not significant for the left side (right: P = 0.042; left: P = 0.053).Diametric and volumetric analyses offer important additional information based on 3D images of cone-beam computed tomography technology. Significant differences in diameter and volume of mandibular condyles could be assessed between different classes of malocclusion.