3-D analysis of facial asymmetry in children with hip dysplasia

Objective: To determine whether facial asymmetry existed in patients with developmental dysplasia of the hip (DDH). Materials and Methods: Subjects consisted of children between ages 5 and 10 years having DDH, and treated by the Von Rosen splint method. Three-dimensional (3-D) facial photographs were taken on all subjects using the 3dMDface system. Using RF6 PP2 software, anthropometric landmarks were plotted and used to calculate asymmetry based on 3-D coordinates in a reference framework. Results: Of a total of 60 subjects with a mean age of 8 years (SD, 1.4 years), 30 had dysplasia of the left hip; 13, of the right; and 17 were bilateral. Twenty-seven subjects had upper face (UF) dominance values of 2 mm or more; of those, 26 were right-side dominant. Twenty-four subjects (40%) had a chin-point (CP) deviation of 2 mm or more; of those, 21 had right-side deviations. Statistically, UF and CP deviations were not significantly independent of each other (P>.05). Thirty percent of subjects had a posterior dental crossbite. Conclusions: The results indicate that facial asymmetry exists in patients with DDH. (Angle Orthod. 2010;80:707-712.)