Evaluation of the relationship between impacted canines and three-dimensional sella morphology

Abstract

Purpose: The purpose of this study was to assess the three-dimensional morphometric features of the sella turcica using cone beam computed tomography (CBCT) in subjects with unilateral and bilateral maxillary impacted canines and normal controls.

Methods: In this retrospective study, CBCT images captured with ultra-low dose protocol of 73 subjects (21 males, 52 females; mean age 20.01 ± 6.53 years) with unilateral or bilateral maxillary impacted canines (29 unilateral and 29 bilateral) and 15 controls were evaluated. Nineteen different measurements of the pituitary fossa were made on CBCT images. To evaluate the normality, the Kolmogorov-Smirnov test was used. The nonparametric statistical Kruskal-Wallis and Mann-Whitney U tests were applied to analyze the significant differences among and between the groups. Statistical significance was set at 5%.

Results: No measurement differed significantly among the groups (all p > 0.05) other than the right sella length, which differed between the unilateral and bilateral test groups and the unilateral test group and controls (both p < 0.05). The bilateral test group and control group did not differ significantly, but both exhibited greater right sella length than did the unilateral test group (p > 0.05).

Conclusions: Other than the right sella length, there were no among-group differences in the mean pituitary fossa measurements of subjects with impacted unilateral and bilateral canines and normally erupted canines. The right sella length was lower in subjects with impacted unilateral canines than in those with bilateral impacted canines and normal controls.

Keywords: Cephalometry; Cone-beam computed tomography; Impacted canine; Pituitary fossa; Sella turcica.