A 3D Geometric Morphometric Analysis of the Palatal Morphology in Marfan’s Syndrome: A Preliminary Study

Abstract

Introduction: Marfan’s Syndrome (MS) is a multisystem disorder of the connective tissue. A number of oral manifestations and craniofacial characteristics show a strong correlation with MS. There are no data available in the literature with regard to morphological characteristics of the maxilla in Marfan’s syndrome assessed by 3D morphometric analysis. Aim: To use geometric morphometric analysis in order to evaluate the characteristics of palatal shape in a group of Marfan subjects compared with a control group. Materials and Methods: For this preliminary study, a group of five male subjects (mean age of 9.1±0.8 years) with a clinical diagnosis of MS were selected for the Marfan Group (MG). The Control Group (CG) was composed of five non-syndromic male subjects (mean age 9.3±0.6) years. Maxillary study casts of all subjects were scanned using an extraoral scanner. Landmarks and semi landmarks were digitized (239 landmarks) and geometric morphometric methods were used. Procrustes analysis was applied and principal component analysis was performed to reveal the main patterns of palatal shape variation. Results: A statistically significant difference between the palate’s shape of MG and CG was found. The variability described by the first principal component was morphologically the most significant because it defines the 65.7% of total shape variability and describes changes in all three dimensions. MG mainly presents alteration of the palatal vault in the vertical plane and in the transverse dimension of the posterior region. Conclusion: Marfan subjects have a specific palatal morphology characterised by high palatal vault and narrow maxillary posterior region.

Keywords

• digital dental casts
• laser scanning
• palatal shape