Development of dentofacial characteristics related to Incontinentia Pigmenti syndrome: A repeated cross-sectional study

Introduction: This research aimed to investigate the dentofacial characteristics of patients with Incontinentia Pigmenti (IP) (or Bloch-Sulzberger) syndrome in childhood, juvenile, and adulthood developmental stages. Methods: Fifteen female patients with a clinical diagnosis of IP, genetically confirmed by molecular testing, were included in this study. The records of 25 nonsyndromic females with Class I occlusion and lateral cephalograms obtained at similar developmental stages were selected from the American Association of Orthodontists Foundation Legacy Collection as a control group. Dentofacial features of subjects with IP and those in the control group were compared statistically using t test and Mann-Whitney rank-sum test (significance was defined as P \0.05). Results: In general, patients with IP had shorter maxillary and mandibular length, straight skeletal profile, hypodivergent growth pattern with a tendency to mandibular protrusion, shorter anterior facial height, Class III compensatory positioning of incisors, more retruded lips, and smaller maxillary incisor exposure. The degree of hypodontia severity had a significant impact on skeletal, dental, and soft-tissue features in patients with IP. Conclusions: The results of this study showed that, since childhood, the dentofacial characteristics of patients with IP were progressively distancing from those of nonsyndromic patients with Class I occlusion, presenting their own orthodontic needs. (Am J Orthod Dentofacial Orthop 2021;160:66-76)