Is Adenotonsillar Hypertrophy Associated With Dentofacial Morphology༟

To summarize the existing evidence regarding the association between adenotonsillar hypertrophy and dentofacial characteristics of children. Four databases (PubMed, Embase, Web of Science and VIP Chinese Journal Database) were searched from inception to November 1, 2024 for cross-sectional studies that compared the dental or craniofacial characteristics of children with and without adenoid and/or tonsil hypertrophy. The Newcastle-Ottawa Scale for Cross-Sectional Studies was used to assess the methodological quality of included studies. Meta-analyses were performed with the random-effects model. Thirty-six studies were included in this review. The mandibular plane angle (P<0.00001), articular angle (P<0.0001) were significantly greater in children with adenoid and/or tonsil hypertrophy. No significant differences were found between the ANB angle between the two groups (P=0.59). The SNA (P=0.01) and SNB angle (P=0.005) were found to be significantly smaller in children with adenoid and/or tonsil hypertrophy. Regarding dental characteristics, the rate of Angle Class II and Class III malocclusions (P<0.0001) and open bite (P=0.001) were found to be higher in the adenoid and/or tonsil hypertrophy children. In addition, the upper arch width (P=0.0008) were found to be smaller in isolated tonsillar hypertrophy children. Based on evidence of low to very low certainty, children with ATH tend to exhibit craniofacial characteristics such as sagittal maxillary and mandibular retrognathia and an increased mandibular plane angle.