Operational definitions of mandibular morphogenetic and positional rotations.

A material of 30 patients with metallic implants was used in a longitudinal study, based on lateral headplates, of the mandibular rotational pattern. The complexity of the rotational phenomenon in the mandibular rotation has necessitated the proposal of some operational definitions: morphogenetic and positional rotations of the mandible. A relationship has been established between the variation of the gonial angle and the variation of both morphogenetic and positional rotations of the mandible. A relationship has been established between the variation of the condylar growth direction and the variation of both morphogenetc and positional rotations of the mandible: this relationship is the strongest when the morphogenetic rotation of the corpus is considered.