%0 Journal Article
%@ 1601-6335
%A Auconi, Pietro
%A Caldarelli, Guido
%A Scala, Antonio
%A Ierardo, Gaetano
%A Polimeni, Antonella
%D 2011
%F eprints:1195
%I Wiley-Blackwell
%J Orthodontics and Craniofacial Research
%K class II and class III malocclusions; craniofacial topology; network analysis
%N 4
%P 189-197
%T A network approach to orthodontic diagnosis
%U http://eprints.imtlucca.it/1195/
%V 14
%X Background –  Network analysis, a recent advancement in complexity science, enables understanding of the properties of complex biological processes characterized by the interaction, adaptive regulation, and coordination of a large number of participating components.  Objective –  We applied network analysis to orthodontics to detect and visualize the most interconnected clinical, radiographic, and functional data pertaining to the orofacial system.  Materials and Methods –  The sample consisted of 104 individuals from 7 to 13 years of age in the mixed dentition phase without previous orthodontic intervention. The subjects were divided according to skeletal class; their clinical, radiographic, and functional features were represented as vertices (nodes) and links (edges) connecting them.  Results –  Class II subjects exhibited few highly connected orthodontic features (hubs), while Class III patients showed a more compact network structure characterized by strong co-occurrence of normal and abnormal clinical, functional, and radiological features. Restricting our analysis to the highest correlations, we identified critical peculiarities of Class II and Class III malocclusions.  Conclusions –  The topology of the dentofacial system obtained by network analysis could allow orthodontists to visually evaluate and anticipate the co-occurrence of auxological anomalies during individual craniofacial growth and possibly localize reactive sites for a therapeutic approach to malocclusion.