Trunk inclination, pelvic tilt and pelvic rotation in relation to the craniofacial morphology in adults

To relate the differences in the posture of patients with different craniofacial morphologies. Fifty-three adult patients with Class II and III malformations were examined by cephalometric analysis and rasterstereography. The facial depth, maxillary position, mandibular plane angle, inner gonial angle, facial axis, and lower facial height were evaluated and classified into a basal distal-mesial group and a horizontal-vertical group by means of threshold parameters. Analyzing the results of the rasterstereography, the spine's lateral perpendicular deviation, the pelvic tilt, and the pelvic rotation were calculated by means of mathematical algorithms on the basis of the three-dimensional spine profile. To determine the statistically significant correlations between the studied parameters, the t-test was applied in groups with a normal distribution, and the Mann-Whitney U-test was used in the cases of abnormally distributed variables (significance level P < .05). Statistically significant differences (P < .05) in pelvic torsion were documented with respect to the facial axis and facial depth. Moreover, the differences (P < .05) between patients with a skeletal horizontal-vertical facial axis and patients with a basal distal-mesial position for the facial depth could be determined for the pelvic torsion. As a clinical consequence of the results, an extension of the interdisciplinary concepts within the sense of an orthopedic examination can be considered for patients undergoing a combined orthodontic-operative therapy.