Keywords
deaf children - cephalometric analysis - index of orthodontic treatment need - malocclusion
Introduction
Orthodontics refers to the supervision, guidance, and correction of both developing
and developed dentofacial structures.[1] It has a broad scope that comprises a variety of malocclusions, which involves misalignment
of the upper and lower sets of teeth or dental and jaw arches, affecting the masticatory
and facial aesthetics.[2] Malocclusions range from simple to complex. Its prevalence varies according to the
geographical base, population, ethnicity, age, sex, and urbanization, and it can be
overcome by utilizing secure procedures that are also applicable to the type that
requires orthognathic surgery.[3] It is usually diagnosed in patients with typical health conditions such as cleft
lip and palate, Down's syndrome, as well as other diseases; however, it also emerges
due to the direct outcome of a disorder or associated ailment.[4] Furthermore, it is also detected in children with a hearing impairment, leading
to the communication problems that affect certain aspects of their growth, development,
and ability.[5] Speech disorder is a type of condition or communicative behavior characterized by
difficulty in the production of speech sounds. This occurs due to certain abnormalities
in the shape and structure of the speech organs, which consist of politicizes, malocclusions,
anomalies, deviations, or congenital defects such as the thick tongue or minimal growth
of frenulum.[6]
Cephalometric analyses have been used as the standard measuring the craniofacial growth
and development. Besides orthodontic and skeletal growth analysis, lateral cephalograms
are also often applied to measure various cranial parameters. It also offers valuable
information concerning the growth and development of intracranial parameters, irrespective
of the fact that it is a standardized radiography technique.[7] Furthermore, cephalometric radiography is an essential tool in the diagnosis and
treatment of malocclusions underlying the skeletal discrepancies. Thus, the utilization
of serial cephalometric radiographs makes it possible to examine and predict the progress
of orthodontic treatment as well as the surgical outcome of dentofacial deformity.[8]
Correspondingly, the concepts of orthodontic treatment are based on three aspects,
which are objective signs, subjective symptoms, and social views. Objective signs
include abnormalities of teeth that deviate from normal, subjective symptoms are self-perceived
anomalies that require treatment, and social views include the general opinion that
a person's malocclusion needs to be treated. The last one depends on the local and
social culture.[9] Moreover, children with hearing impairment need attention and tools that aid the
treatment of these abnormalities to overcome their communication problems. Direct
communication is difficult because the children usually cannot understand spoken communication.[10] Research works on jaw growth and the functions of the teeth and oral mucosa in deaf
children are rare, even though their desire to get treatment is quite high.[11]
Simultaneously, orthodontics has applied several special indices in order to determine
the severity of the malocclusion.[12] An example is the index of orthodontic treatment need (IOTN) which classifies malocclusions
based on the abnormalities of individual dental structures and the acceptance of aesthetic
imperfections to prioritize orthodontic treatment. IOTN measures the needs of children
under the age of 18 years for epidemiological surveys or the success of treatment.
It has the following advantages: it is easy to use, simple, of short duration, clinically
justified according to the needs, clearly differentiates several levels, as well as
statistically accountable.[13] In addition, this index displays an acceptable degree of conformity between examiners;
therefore, it is implemented for epidemiological surveys. Correspondingly, it is appropriate
for this study, because it was discovered that children with hearing loss, communication
problems, and adaptability, usually have family protection factors and sometimes require
different interpersonal treatments. On the other hand, there are several other types
such as treatment priority index (TPI), occlusal index (OI), index of complexity,
outcome, and need (ICON), dental aesthetic index (DAI); however, IOTN is more complete
in terms of components than the others.[14] It consists of two components, which are dental health component (DHC) and aesthetic
component (AC), which are performed together to determine the patients' needs. This
index is also designed to discover which patients have the most severe malocclusions
by implementing DHC followed by AC.[13]
[15] Moreover, studies concerning deaf children and associated with cephalometric analysis
and IOTN index are still limited. Thus far, this is the only study to investigate
the severity of malocclusion and orthodontic treatment in deaf children as well as
the correlation between the dental cephalometric analysis with DHC and AC in IOTN.
Materials and Methods
Study Subject and Design
This research protocol obtained the ethical clearance committee of Faculty of Dentistry,
Hang Tuah University, with appointment number KEPK/EC/001/NALA.RSGM/X/2019. This study
was a case-control study with cross-sectional design conducted from October to November
2019 with the help of the total sampling method. The population in this study were
33 special need school type B (SLB-B) Tunarungu Karya Mulia students in Surabaya, East Java, Indonesia, in compliance with the following inclusion
sampling criteria: they were between the ages of 8 to 12 years (growth age), males
and females (they were not distinguished based on sex), and never received any orthodontic
treatment. The exclusion criteria were deaf children with other syndromes such as
Down's syndrome, Usher syndrome, and cleft lip/palate. All patients' guardians were
asked to fulfill written informed consent in order for their children to be subjects
in this study voluntarily.
The carried out research procedures included the following: (1) recording the general
identity of the samples by writing the name, age, and gender on the survey card, (2)
providing the information on the procedures carried out in this research, such as
photography, cephalometric and any impression of a study model for each sample, (3)
conducting the cephalometric analysis of images measuring the angles of angle between
Sella–N–A point (SNA), angle between Sella–N–B point (SNB) and angle between A point–N–B
point (ANB), and the soft tissue, (4) interpreting the results, and, (5) observing
and measuring the severity of malocclusion in the study model and the photo samples
using DHC and AC in IOTN components, respectively.
Fig. 1 The anatomical landmarks of cephalometric analysis that were investigated is as follows:
SNA Angle determined by points Sella (the center of sella turcica), Nasion (the most
anterior point of the frontonasal suture) and Point A (the innermost point on the
contour of the maxilla between the anterior nasal spine and the alveolar crest); SNB
angle determined by point Sella, Nasion and Point B (the most posterior point in the
concavity along the anterior border of the symphysis); I-NA (angle formed by the intersection
of the upper incisor axis and the NA line); I-NB (angle formed by the intersection
of the lower incisor axis and the NB line); E-line joining the soft tissue pogonion
and pronasale and its relation with upper and lower lips.[16]
All samples were positioned in the cephalostat with the sagittal plane at right angles
to the X-rays, the Frankfort plane was parallel to the floor, and the centric occlusion
of the teeth and the lips were lightly sealed together. The digital tracings (Webceph,
Korea) as well as all the measurements were performed by a third investigator, an
experienced orthodontist with many years of cephalometric experience. Then, the selected
landmarks were traced with bilateral structures, and their average was calculated
to generate a single structure or landmark. Next, all measurements were carried out
manually and entered into an Excel spreadsheet for statistical evaluation.
Skeletal and dental cephalometric measurements utilized in this research calculated
the angles of SNA anteroposterior position of the maxilla relative to the anterior
cranial base, SNB anteroposterior position of the mandible relative to the anterior
cranial base, ANB, which is the difference between SNA and SNB angles and defines
the mutual relationship in the sagittal plane of the maxillary and mandibular bases,
the upper incisor to NA (1-NA), which is the angle formed between the long axis of
upper central incisor and the anteroposterior position and, finally, lower incisor
to NB (1-NB), which is the angle formed between long axis of lower central incisor
and anteroposterior position of the mandible. The analysis of the interincisal and
soft tissues applied E Line ([Fig. 1]).[16]
Moreover, a transparent plastic ruler was used to measure DHC, while a photo color
was used to measure the aesthetic component. Any abnormalities were diagnosed based
on severe deviations, while 9 DHCs were recorded by examining the following occlusal
traits: missing teeth, overjet, crossbite, displacement, overbite (MOCDO). All the
five grades of DHC were defined by implementing criteria; in addition, grading was
conducted, based on DHC concerning the development of IOTN.[13]
[14]
The aforementioned five grades for DHC were no need for orthodontic treatment, minor
need for orthodontic treatment, moderate/borderline need for orthodontic treatment,
orthodontic treatment required, and great orthodontic treatment required. The grade
for DHC of IOTN was recommended for individuals with severe malocclusion traits.[13]
[14] Furthermore, AC measured the aesthetic impairment and justified the treatment on
social-psychological grounds. Therefore, it ranked malocclusion in terms of various
occlusal traits detected in a person's dental health as well as a perceived aesthetic
impairment to identify those that were likely to be benefitted from an orthodontic
treatment.[13]
[14] In addition, AC scale was arranged, based on the photographs of teeth captured from
the anterior view of 10000 on 12-year-old children with an average of 6 photos being
taken for visual comparison. Then, 10 photos were chosen as illustrations, and they
were also arranged into 10 scales, showing variations in the dentition of the teeth.[15]
The degree of severity and treatment requirements of AC was categorized as follows:
a) scale 1 to 4 showed the condition of the teeth arrangement with good aesthetics
or mild abnormalities; therefore, it required minor or no treatment, b) scale 5 to
7 showed the state of aesthetic tooth structure which required borderline or moderate
treatment, and c) scale 8 to 10 showed the poor aesthetic condition of the teeth;
therefore, it required treatment.[1]
[13]
In this research, data was examined and scored according to the indices of IOTN, which
consisted of two components, DHC and AC, respectively. The most severe scores were
analyzed descriptively, and their percentages were calculated using frequency distribution.
Furthermore, the interrelation between DHC, orthodontist's aesthetic opinion, and
dental cephalometric analysis was determined using the Spearman correlation with significant
value of 0.05. The statistical analysis of Shapiro–Wilk test and Levene's test was
carried out by means of statistical package for social science (SPSS) version 20.0
(IBM corporation, Illinois, Chicago, US).
Results
The cephalometric examination in deaf children was conducted using the Steiner analysis.
The cephalometric analysis conducted on deaf children showed no abnormality in their
skeleton, however, 82% of those in skeletal class I had I-NA protrusion, 1-NB retrusion,
and hypertonus of upper and lower lips ([Table 1]).
Table 1
Descriptive data of cephalometric analysis in deaf children
|
Parameter
|
Normal value
|
Values in deaf children
|
Number
|
Percentage
|
|
SNA
|
79°–89°
|
79°–89°
|
30
|
91
|
|
|
< 79°
|
3
|
9
|
|
SNB
|
74°–89°
|
74°–89°
|
30
|
91
|
|
|
< 74°
|
3
|
9
|
|
ANB
|
0°–4°
|
0°–4° skeletal (class I)
|
27
|
82
|
|
|
< 0° (skeletal class 1)
|
3
|
9
|
|
|
> 4° (skeletal class II)
|
3
|
9
|
|
1-NA
|
26°
|
26° (normal)
|
9
|
27
|
|
|
> 26° (protrusion)
|
15
|
46
|
|
|
< 26° (retrusion)
|
9
|
27
|
|
1-NB
|
29°
|
29° (normal)
|
3
|
9
|
|
|
> 29° (protrusion)
|
12
|
36
|
|
|
< 29° (retrusion)
|
18
|
55
|
|
Intrinsical
|
118°
|
118° (normal)
|
6
|
18
|
|
|
> 118° (upright)
|
18
|
55
|
|
|
< 118° (protrusion)
|
9
|
27
|
|
Soft-tissue analysis
|
Upper lips 2 mm behind the E-line
|
Normal
|
18
|
55
|
|
|
Hypertonus lips
|
15
|
45
|
|
Lower lips 2 mm behind the E-line
|
Normal
|
12
|
36
|
|
|
Hypertonus lips
|
21
|
64
|
Abbreviations: ANB, angle between A point–N–B point; SNA, Sella–N–A point; SNB, Sella–N–B
point.
Corresponding to this research, the highest numbers of malocclusion severity score
using DHC assessment were in the grades 3 and 4 with the percentage of 36% in moderate
and severe malocclusion ([Table 2]). In relation to AC evaluation, the most severe malocclusion was expressed on the
scale of 1 to 7, with 64% of the sample having good and moderate teeth arrangement
as well as aesthetic impairment ([Table 3]). Based on the treatment needs assessed by implementing DHC, it revealed that 91%
of the samples, which comprised 36% and 55% of the respondents required moderate (borderline)
and absolute treatment, respectively. On the contrary, based on the assessment conducted
with AC, 63% of the sample, which consisted of 36% and 28% of the respondents, needed
moderate (borderline) and absolute treatment ([Table 4]).
Table 2
Malocclusion severity in deaf children using the DHC component of IOTN index
|
Malocclusion severity
|
Malocclusion type
|
Number
|
Percentage
|
|
Grade 2: mild malocclusion/little need requirement
|
2.d: Displacement of teeth > 1 mm but ≤ 2 mm
|
3
|
9
|
|
Grade 3: Moderate malocclusion/borderline need
|
3.d: Displacement of teeth > 2 mm but ≤4 mm
3.f: Increased and incomplete overbite without gingival or palatal trauma
|
12
|
36
|
|
Grade 4: Severe malocclusion/treatment need
|
4d: Severe displacements of teeth > 4
4.g: Less extensive hypodontia requiring prerestorative orthodontics or orthodontic
space closure to obviate
the need for a prosthesis
4.j: Partially erupted teeth, tipped and impacted against adjacent teeth
|
12
|
36
|
|
Grade 5: Severe malocclusion/great treatment need
|
5.i: Impeded eruption of teeth (apart from 3rd molars) due to crowding, displacement,
the presence of supernumerary teeth, retained deciduous teeth, and any pathological
cause
|
6
|
19
|
|
Total
|
|
33
|
100
|
Abbreviations: DHC, dental health component; IOTN, index of orthodontic treatment
need.
Table 3
Severity malocclusion in deaf children using IOTN AC component
|
Severity malocclusion
|
Number
|
Percentage
|
|
Scale 1–4: good teeth arrangement and aesthetic/no need treatment
|
12
|
36
|
|
Scale 5–7: moderate teeth arrangement and aesthetic/borderline need
|
12
|
36
|
|
Scale 8–10: poor teeth arrangement and aesthetic/treatment need
|
9
|
28
|
|
Total
|
33
|
100
|
Abbreviations: AC, aesthetic component; IOTN, index of orthodontic treatment need.
Table 4
Treatment needs in deaf children using IOTN
|
Treatment need
|
DHC component
|
AC component
|
|
No need treatment
|
3 (9%)
|
12(36%)
|
|
Malocclusion
|
Borderline treatment
|
30
(91%)
|
12 (36%)
|
21
(63%)
|
12 (36%)
|
|
Need treatment
|
18 (55%)
|
9 (28%)
|
|
Total
|
|
33 (100%)
|
100%
|
Abbreviations: AC, aesthetic component; DHC, dental health component; IOTN, index
of orthodontic treatment need.
The result data of the ordinal variables have a large number of levels; hence, the
Spearman test was applied to examine the correlation between the dental cephalometric
analysis and the treatment using both the components of AC and DHC in IOTN. This research
had a statistic significant of 0.00 with a correlation coefficient of – 0.793 between
ANB (skeletal parameter/ sagittal plane of the maxillary and mandibular bases) and
DHC, – 0.637 between ANB and AC, and 0.866 between DHC and AC. Therefore, a considerable
association between two variables existed. Moreover, a significance level of slightly
less than 5% presented that the probability of the relationship was accidentally discovered
to be approximately 5 in a 100. Meanwhile, Rs value of – 0.793 and – 0.637 suggested
a fairly strong negative relationship, while 0.866 also determined a fairly strong
relationship ([Table 5]).
Table 5
Spearman correlation test result between dental cephalometric analysis and DHC AC
IOTN index
|
Skeletal (ANB)
|
Dental (interincisal)
|
DHC
|
AC
|
|
Skeletal
correlation coeff.
|
1.0
|
0.028
|
–0.793
|
–0.637
|
|
Sig
|
|
0.878
|
0.00
|
0.00
|
|
Dental
correlation coeff.
|
0.028
|
1.0
|
0.63
|
0.88
|
|
Sig
|
0.878
|
|
0.729
|
0.627
|
|
DHC
correlation coeff.
|
– 0.793
|
0.63
|
1.0
|
0.866[a]
|
|
Sig.
|
0.00
|
0.729
|
|
0.000
|
|
AC
correlation coeff.
|
– 0.637
|
0.088
|
0.866[a]
|
1.0
|
|
Sig.
|
0.00
|
0.627
|
0.000
|
|
Abbreviations: AC, aesthetic component; ANB, angle between A point–N–B point; DHC,
dental health component; IOTN, index of orthodontic treatment need.
a information: significant at p > 0.05.
Discussion
A cephalometric analysis conducted on deaf children showed that there was no abnormality
in their skeletons, however, 82% of the respondents in skeletal class I had I-NA protrusion,
1-NB retrusion, as well as hypertonus in the upper and lower lips. This means that
the skeleton is not affected by deaf impairment. Abnormalities detected in the dental
analysis were caused by protrusion of the upper incisors and retrusion of the lower
incisors.[17] Furthermore, children with tongue adaptation show greater lower lips activity.[18] The tip of the tongue slightly overlays the lower incisors when it is at rest and
protrudes beyond it during the “s” production in defective speakers.[19] Therefore, the adaptation capacity of the oropharyngeal structure contributes fundamentally.
This adaptation is based on the children's characters, level of intelligence, muscle
control, emotional state, and social condition.[20]
In this present study, we found that the highest numbers of malocclusion severity
score using DHC assessment were in the grades 3 and 4 in moderate and severe malocclusion.
In relation to AC evaluation, the most severe malocclusion was expressed on the scale
of 1 to 7, having good and moderate teeth arrangement as well as aesthetic impairment.
According to treatment needs assessed by implementing DHC, it was revealed that most
samples required moderate (borderline) and absolute treatment. On the contrary, based
on the assessment conducted with AC, most samples needed moderate (borderline) and
absolute treatment. This showed that deaf children need orthodontic treatment, particularly
in the cases of malocclusion, compared to the aesthetic of their anterior teeth. In
this study, the classification of malocclusion was not specifically examined, even
though class I, II, or III malocclusions can show sagittal and vertical changes that
occur in the growth period, which correlate with the dental condition.[21] Consistently, a research conducted by Ajami also argued that most children with
disabilities had class I malocclusion based on the classification of angle.[22]
Moreover, children with hearing impairment usually complain of the ear pain and fever,
and they also have allergies and often experience the respiratory infections such
as sinusitis and tonsillitis.[23] Various airway diseases also cause the breathing through the mouth, which affects
their dentocraniofacial growth, resulting in the inappropriate eruption of teeth in
the oral cavity.[24] This was consistent with the studies carried out on four children where contact
point displacement (CPD) > 4 mm. The lack of dentocraniofacial growth and development
also can prevent the teeth from eruption.[12]
[25] This was in accordance with the results from the research conducted on hypodontia,
which was discovered to be less extensive and required restoration treatment or orthodontic
space closure, thereby eliminating the need to conduct prostheses in four children.[26] In addition, any dental craniofacial growth affects tooth eruption; according to
Klein, this relates to the results from the research conducted on the partial eruption,
tipping, and impaction of the next tooth in one child, because the late eruption is
associated with crammed, excess, and retention of deciduous teeth as well as the other
pathological abnormalities in six children.[27]
Additionally, children with hearing loss mostly have poor oral hygiene compared to
the normal ones.[23] The caries examination conducted using DMF-T displayed that deaf students classified
within the age group of 11 to 12 years old were 4.17 higher than normal ones (3.46).
A similar circumstance was detected in deaf students within a group age of 14 to 16
years who expressed caries at 5.53 higher than nonhearing impaired ones (3.80); thus,
they needed oral health-promoting intervention to assist them to learn the favorable
oral health practices and skills in tooth brushing along with the ability to choose
a proper diet.[12] Meanwhile, difficult eating, unsatisfactory diet, and interrupting meals were significantly
correlated with malocclusion severity.[26] This is consistent with the results from an investigation conducted on numerous
children with hearing impairment, with nine children possessing cases of crowding
(CPD). Moreover, one of the causes in crammed teeth is caries, which is also consistent
with the research conducted by Ajami which stated that an examination conducted on
children with disabilities using the oral health index-simplified (OHI-S) index showed
that they possessed a high caries rate (81.7%); therefore, they are not adequately
taken care of with poor OH status (49.4%).[22]
Related to measurement results on the severity of malocclusion by applying AC, the
highest percentage was recorded and categorized in the scale of 1 to 4 for teeth arrangement,
with aesthetically good in 12 children (36%) who needed minor or no treatment, while
another 36% were included in the scale of 5 to 7 for teeth arrangement with moderate
aesthetics, which required the moderate or borderline care, and the remaining 28%
was categorized within a scale of 8 to 10 for both poor teeth arrangement and aesthetics,
which needed an orthodontic treatment. The result of AC was much likely to decide
the necessity for orthodontic treatment and provide plans for health prevention lists
by setting up the priorities.[27]
Finally, the difficulty encountered in this research was the impression of a study
model conducted among 33 children. This was because children with hearing loss generally
found it difficult to focus when they were asked to speak. Therefore, sensitive series
of explanations were carried out among children who were sensitive and prone to vomit.
This was consistent with the research conducted by Alsmark that deaf children need
special communication such as intonation and clear articulation, with the addition
of the need to communicate with their parents when necessary.[11] Finally, the difficulties encountered in determining the severity of malocclusion,
based on AC, involved the requirement of two or more people to achieve an objective
result.
Conclusion
Based on the results from the research conducted at SLB-B Tunarungu Karya Mulia students in Surabaya, using cephalometric analysis, no abnormality was detected in
the skeletal system of deaf children. However, 82% of the sample were categorized
in skeletal class I with I-NA protrusion, 1-NB retrusion, and hypertonus in the upper
and lower lips. The highest numbers of malocclusion severity score was in accordance
with DHC assessment, which were in the grades 3 and 4 (moderate and severe malocclusion)
with the percentage of 36%. Meanwhile, AC evaluation was used to detect the most severe
malocclusion, which was categorized on a 1 to 7 scale of good and moderate in teeth
arrangement and aesthetic with the percentage of 64%. Additionally, there was a correlation
between dental cephalometric analysis and treatment need using AC and DHC of IOTN.
This study suggest that deaf children need preventive or interceptive orthodontic
treatment for correcting facial aesthetic and good occlusion. However, further study
is still needed to investigate complexity outcome and needs of orthodontic treatment
using ICON.