What is mandibular hypoplasia?

spread into its literal definition means mandibular hypoplasia of the jaw that is incomplete. "Mandibular" is an anatomical term referring to the lower jaw or jaw and "hypoplasia" is a medical term that refers to the development or growth of part of the body. Mandibular hypoplasia is therefore incomplete or insufficiently development of the lower jaw. Microgathism, a state where the lower jaw is undersized, is another term, which means basically the same thing.

Mandibular hypoplasia is often a congenital condition, but may also occur due to trauma or injury. The cause of congenital mandibular hypoplasia may vary and the cause is not always identified in pediatric patients born with this malformation of the face. Similarly, mandibular hypoplasia may only be one of several specific insufficient development, which is the result of congenital defects. Other areas that may be affected include ears, upper jaw and nose.

Clinically, this condition can be presented as a devotion of chin with asymEtric facial features surrounding the mouth. Complications may occur and largely depend on the severity of the condition, but may include difficulty breathing, chewing and swallowing, which can lead to sleep apnea and weight loss or infants failure. In some cases, tracheotomy or feed tube may be necessary until surgical correction can be achieved.

Mandibular hypoplasia is often classified on the basis of the Classification System, developed in 1969. Since the subclass of the original ordering system has created, other classification systems have been developed. Pruzansky classified mandibular hypoplasia as grade 1, 2 or 3. Grade 1 concerns mandibles that have small sizes regardless of normal configuration. Grade 2 refers to mandibles that are hypoplastic or insufficiently developed, and may fall into subclass A or B depending on malformaci. Grade 3 is indicated to the jaw, which is seriously insufficiently developed or malformed.

Treatment of mandibular hypoplasia requires reconstruction surgery. The extent of surgery depends on the degree of insufficient development and configuration of the surrounding facial bones and muscles. Basically, the jaw is rebuilt by a number of bone grafts. Reconstruction surgery is usually performed by oral or maxillofacial surgeon, which evaluates the condition and issues recommendations on the basis of medical history, development, severity of condition and age. This type of reconstruction surgery is quite complex because the lower jaw serves many purposes and functions, besides being the primary feature of the aesthetic face. However, many operations are quite successful both in improving facial elements and in repairing or alleviating complications that can occur due to hypoplasia.