Relationship of skeletal malocclusion with eye and hair color in Turkish adolescent patients

Objectives: The aim of this study was to establish whether a relationship exists between eye and hair color and orthodontic anomalies; an association has never been evaluated previously. Materials and Methods: The records of 406 adolescent patients to the Erciyes University Faculty of Dentistry for orthodontic treatment were included in this retrospective cohort study. Participants were divided into sagittal (Class I, Class II, and Class III) and vertical (low angle, normal angle, and high angle) skeletal malocclusion classes. Moreover, participants were also divided by their eye (brown, green, or blue) and hair (black, brown, or blonde) color. Collated data were statistically evaluated using the SPSS software by applying the one-way analysis of variance, Kruskal–Wallis, the Pearson Chi-square, and Fisher’s exact tests. Statistical significance was accepted at P < 0.05. Results: No statistically significant relationships were identified between sagittal and skeletal malocclusion and eye color ( P > 0.05). However, the sella-nasion-b and CoGn parameters of brown-eyed individuals were significantly smaller than individuals with other eye colors ( P < 0.05). Moreover, a statistically significant difference was established for the CoA, CoGn, and ANS-Me parameters between the different hair groups ( P < 0.05). All three parameters were significantly lower in brown-haired individuals compared to individuals with black haired ( P < 0.05). Conclusion: This study identified no significant association between the eye and hair color variable, with similarly formed craniofacial structures, and with the sagittal and vertical skeletal malocclusion. Therefore, any malocclusion estimation assumption formed based on either the hair or eye color of an individual will be incorrect.