Computer-aided modeling in the assessment of the biomechanical determinants of diverse skeletal patterns

Aberrant functional patterns of the masticatory musculature have been alleged as a factor influencing the morphogenesis of mandibular dysplasias. These include such expressions as the hyperdivergent skeletal open bite and its counterpart, the hypodivergent skeletal deep bite. A lack of anatomic data dealing with the actual musculoskeletal orientations of these types has resulted in speculative reports on divergent anatomy and its purported effects. In this study anatomic dissections of a hyperdivergent and a hypodivergent human cadaver illustrated that skeletally dysmorphic types possess different spatial orientations of the masticatory adductors in relation to dentofacial structures. A two-dimensional analysis of static equilibrium using computer-aided modeling demonstrated that these two types produce biomechanically distinct modes of muscle action. Temporalis activity must be 40% higher in the hyperdivergent model as compared with its counterpart to produce a biting force of 500 N (112 lb). The data suggest a rationale for the weak biting forces previously reported in long-faced persons when compared with horizontally developed subjects. The direction of condylar reaction force was also found to vary from a vertical orientation in the hyperdivergent model to oblique in the hypodivergent model. “Physis-like” behavior of the condyle, which can orient axially toward loading forces, may present an explanation for the reported differences in the direction of condylar growth in dysmorphic persons. A finite element analysis pictured distinct regions of deformation and compression in a novel perspective to help evaluate the currency of accepted hypotheses of stress-induced osteogenesis. The data support previous work reporting a latent geometric interdependency existing between muscle orientation and mandibular morphology.