A retrospective study of coronoid process morphology in patients with long-face morphology based on CBCT

Abstract Objects To establish a three-dimensional descriptive model of the coronoid process morphology, compare the differences in its morphology between patients with long-face morphology (LF) and normal individuals and find potential clinical markers for LF. Methods The retrospective study included 68 LF patients and 69 normal individuals. It utilized CBCT data to conduct comprehensive measurements of the coronoid process, including length, angles in the sagittal, coronal, and axial planes, curvature, area, and volume. A t-test was used to compare the coronoid process parameters between the two groups. Binary logistic regression was used to analyze the association between long-face morphology and the coronoid process. A Receiver Operating Characteristic curve was used to evaluate the predicting ability of the coronoid process measurements in early screening diagnosis of LF. Results Compared to normal individuals, LF patients exhibited smaller coronoid notch depth, coronoid base length, coronoid curvature, anterior distance to the coronoid process apex, coronoid base width, coronal coronoid angle, oblique coronal taper, coronoid length, coronoid base area, superficial area, and volume, but larger sagittal coronoid angle and oblique sagittal taper (P<0.05). Binary logistic regression showed that coronoid volume (OR=0.979, CI0.97-0.99), sagittal coronoid angle (OR=1.339, CI1.18-1.52), anterior distance to the coronoid process apex (OR=0.70, CI0.55-0.92), coronal coronoid angle (OR=0.731, CI0.60-0.90), and coronoid base length (OR=2.747, CI1.86-4.05) were independent variables of LF. Conclusion The reduction in the size of the coronoid process in LF patients was multidimensional, and the measurement results benefited prediction and early diagnosis of LF.