Facial pattern categories of sleep breathing-disordered children using Ricketts analysis.

The facial patterns of 29 children under the age of 15 years with tonsil and/or adenoid and sleep disorder problems was analysed. The lateral-cephalograms of these patients was digitized in a zero-based computer program using Ricketts analysis to examine facial patterns. Results of the analysis were compared with the mean of the control group, n = 41 (9-year-old Japanese children). There were significant differences (P < 0.01-0.001) between the patient group and the control group when comparing the facial axis, lower facial height, mandibular arc, total facial height, and McNamara-Pogonion. The facial pattern of children with sleep breathing disorders was discovered to be the dolico facial pattern.