The effect of professional violin and viola playing on the bony facial structures.

Professional violin and viola playing involves a particular kind of asymmetric face, neck and shoulder muscle activity. The aim of this study was to find out whether players' facial morphology is influenced by this occupational orofacial muscle activity. Lateral and posteroanterior cephalograms and panoramic tomograms of 26 adult professional violin and viola players were evaluated and compared with those of age, sex and dentition matched controls. Significant differences were found between the players and the controls. The players had smaller facial heights, more proclined maxillary incisors and greater mandibular lengths. Thus, intense long-term violin/viola playing has the effect of modifying facial morphology.