Improving diagnostics of periodontal diseases in children with connective tissue dysplasia based on X-ray morphometric and densitometric data

Relevance . Detection of maxillofacial pathomorphological changes in children with connective tissue dysplasia (CTD) allows identifying the nature and severity of disorders, as well as it serves the basis for selecting the best treatment options in view of the pathogenetic features. The purpose is to improve the diagnosis of periodontal diseases in children with CTD based on x-ray morphometric indices of the lower jaw and peripheral skeleton ultrasound osteodensitometry. Materials and methods . 92 children with varying CTD severity, and 43 healthy children, underwent cone-beam computed tomogram examination with a further analysis of their X-ray morphometric (quantitative, qualitative) values and the lower jaw optical density indices. Besides, the status of the peripheral skeleton bone tissue was also determined through quantitative ultrasonic densitometry. Results . Quantitative X-ray morphometric indices in healthy children and children with CTD revealed strong positive correlation with the Z-criterion of osteodensitometry, offering an objective reflection of the bone tissue status in the peripheral skeleton. Conclusion . CTD progression in children correlates with the bone structure destruction intensity in the maxillofacial area, an increase in chronic productive inflammation, a decrease in the bone density, bone tissue fibrous transformation, a decrease in the thickness of cortical, and fiber-dissociation in closing, plates, of the lower jaw, prevalence of mid- and fine-meshed bone pattern, disturbed spatial orientation and thinning of bone trabeculae, as well as the development of pathologies in the periodontium.