Association between ponticulus posticus and skeletal malocclusions

Aim: To determine whether there is any association between Ponticulus posticus and skeletal patterns in lateral cephalometric radiographs. Material and Methods: 1313 lateral cephalometric radiographs of patients treated at a Dental Center were studied to evaluate Ponticulus posticus presence and degree of ossification, as well as the skeletal malocclusion pattern through the analysis of the intermaxillary relationship. Results: Ponticulus posticus was present in 20.4% and a higher number of cases with presence of Ponticulus posticus was identified in Class II patients, with 53%. According to the Chi-square test for homogeneity, there was no statistically significant difference in presence of Ponticulus posticus according to skeletal pattern type (p=0.792), except when presence of Ponticulus posticus was classified according to skeletal patterns and according to sex, when frequency was higher in Class II female sex (p=0.032). Conclusions: There is no relationship between the Ponticulus posticus and the different skeletal malocclusion patterns; a statistically significant difference was only found in Class II, where a predominance in the female sex was e vident. No statistically significant association is evident between skeletal malocclusion patterns and the type of ossification.