A Community detection analysis of malocclusion classes from orthodontics and upper airway data.

Abstract

OBJECTIVE\nThe interaction between skeletal class and upper airway has been extensively studied. Nevertheless, this relationship has not been clearly elucidated, with the heterogeneity of results suggesting the existence of different patterns for patients classification, which has been elusive so far, probably due to oversimplified approaches. Hence, a network analysis was applied to test whether different patterns in patients grouping exist.\n\n\nSETTINGS AND SAMPLE POPULATION\nNinety young adult patients with no obvious signs of respiratory diseases and no previous adeno-tonsillectomy procedures, with thirty patients characterized as Class I (04); 30 as Class III (ANB< 0) MATERIALS AND METHODS: A community detection approach was applied on a graph obtained from a previously analyzed sample: Thirty-two measurements (nineteen cephalometric and thirteen upper airways data) were considered.\n\n\nRESULTS\nAn airway-orthodontic complex network has been obtained by cross-correlating patients. Before entering the correlation, data were controlled for age and gender using linear regression and standardized. By including or not the upper airway measurements as independent variables, two different community structures were obtained. Each contained five modules, though with different patients assignments.\n\n\nCONCLUSION\nThe community detection algorithm found the existence of more than the three classical skeletal classifications. These results support the development of alternative tools to classify subjects according to their craniofacial morphology. This approach could offer a powerful tool for implementing novel strategies for clinical and research in orthodontics.