The Journal
Fig 10 : Post Treatment dental cast
Discussion
Severe facial asymmetries are obvious in
general population. Evidence has been
presented that in man the two sides of the face
are not equal in size more so in the mandible3.
Contrary to unilateral crossbite and bilateral
crossbite it was found to have side-specific
asymmetry. Skeletal components of the
mandible have significant asymmetry among
the crossbite groups
The word symmetry is derived from the Greek
word symmetria which means ‘of like measure’.
Symmetry is defined as correspondence in
size, shape and relative position of parts on
opposite sides of a dividing line or median
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plane. Asymmetry is described as a lack or
absence of symmetry5. When applying this to
the human face, it illustrates an imbalance or
disproportionality between the right and left
sides. A degree of asymmetry is normal and
acceptable in the average face. It may be
caused by a range of factors that affect the
underlying skeletal structure or soft tissue
drape.
Severt and Proffit demonstrated a hierarchy of
stability for orthognathic procedures performed
to correct severe facial asymmetries. Long-
term stability of BSSO appears to depend on
successfully controlling the position of the
proximal condylar segments and maintaining
the mandibular ramus inclination.A
compensated dentition is often found in patients
with a unilateral posterior crossbite6
Vol. 14 No. 1
Jan-Apr 2018