Morphometric characterization of the very young child mandibular growth pattern: What happen before and after the deciduous dentition development?

A particular morphogenesis of the mandible during the growth period was observed, which was correlated with deciduous dentition development. In younger individuals, this morphological pattern was mainly characterized by the progressive closure of the chin symphysis and ramus growth. The tongue movements in the oral space, depending on whether the child was bottle- or breast-fed, may explain this result. As the children grew older, the mandible widened to create sufficient space for the developing teeth buds. During the eruption of deciduous dentition, the mandible took on various morphologies, which was likely based on the child's sex and diet. Therefore, we assume that this mandibular morphogenesis is induced by the functional strains affecting the mandible during deciduous teeth development.