Craniofacial pattern of Class III deciduous dentition.

The purpose of this study was to investigate the morphological characteristics of the cranio-dento-facial complex of children with deciduous dentition and Class III malocclusion. Forty Chinese children in Taiwan with normal occlusion and 40 with Class III malocclusion in deciduous dentition were selected for cephalometric analysis. Mandibular length was significantly greater and the mandible was situated farther forward in the Class III group. The maxilla was also slightly backward in this group, perhaps in association with the shorter maxillary length. The mandibular incisors were tipped lingually to compensate for the intermaxillary skeletal dysplasia and the maxillary incisors were tipped lingually by the retroinclined mandibular incisors.