Clinical semiology guide for dentofacial deformities in early childhood

Dentofacial deformities can begin in a very subtle way, which is why there is a need for a well-defined diagnosis. To ascertain whether there is a consensus among specialists regarding the importance of identifying dentofacial deformities in children before they reach six years of age; and to develop and validate a screening tool to assist general dentists so that they can identify signs of craniofacial asymmetry, thereby directing preventive and minimally invasive approaches in children aged three to six years. The guide was created and validated by 37 specialist professionals, masters and doctors. The Delphi technique was used for data analysis, along with the content validity index (CVI) and Cronbach’s alpha. Among the evaluators, 81.08 % had completed their training more than 10 years ago and 78.38% had been working as dentists for more than 10 years; 2.16 % were specialists, 32.16 % had a master's degree and 5.41 % had a doctoral degree. The agreement between the evaluators through the CVI was 100 % and the average Cronbach's alpha was 0.7571, which was considered substantial or acceptable. The clinical semiology guide for detecting dentofacial deformities in children between 3 and 6 years of age was developed and validated.