OBJECTIVE: To investigate growth asymmetry between the left and right hemimandibles (HMs) during the 2nd and early 3rd trimester of pregnancy. METHODS: Sixty eight hemimandibles (34 mandibles) of fetuses were used-20 female and 14 male-preserved in 10% formalin solution, and the following measurements were performed: Condyle-Coronoid Process (Co-CP), Gonion-Coronoid Process (Go-CP), Gonion-Gnathion (Go-Gn), Condyle-Gnathion (Co-Gn), Symphyseal Height (SH), Mandibular Angle (MA). The data were collected, tabulated and analyzed with the aid of SPSS software, version 11.0, 2005. One-way ANOVA test was performed to compare the mean values of anatomical measurements of the right and left HMs. Gestational ages were divided into second trimester (Period 1: 13-18 weeks and Period 2: 18-24 weeks), and early third trimester (Period 3: 24-30 weeks) of pregnancy. RESULTS: We noted a slight growth rate asymmetry in Go-Gn, Co-CP, Co-Gn, Go-CP and SH, comparing the left and right mandibular halves, between the 2nd and early 3rd trimester of pregnancy, although not statistically significant (p > 0.05). It was also found that the mandibular angle decreased and showed a slight-though statistically significant (p < 0.05)-asymmetry in the same prenatal period. CONCLUSION: The authors concluded that there was a slight asymmetry in the growth rate of measurements Go-Gn, Co-CP, Co-Gn, Go-CP and SH, comparing the left with the right hemimandible between the 2nd and early 3rd trimester of gestation.
Growth; Mandible; Fetus
