Table 2.
Characteristics of the selected studies. Cephalometric indexes - CVT: the upper part of the cervical spine. EVT: the lower part of the cervical spine. OPT: odontoid line. SN: anterior cranial base. PP: palatal plane. MP: mandibular plane. CVT/EVT: cervical lordosis angle. OPT/Ver: odontoid angle. EVT/Ver: lower cervical column angle. CVT/ Ver: upper cervical column angle. SN/Ver: the downward opening angle between the SN and true vertical lines. PP/Ver: the downward opening angle between the palatal and true vertical lines. MP/Ver: the downward opening angle between the mandibular and true vertical lines. SN/OPT: the downward opening angle between OPT and SN lines. SN/CVT: the downward opening angle between CVT and SN lines. PP/OPT: the downward opening angle between OPT and palatal lines. PP/CVT: the downward opening angle between CVT and palatal lines. MP/OPT: the downward opening angle between OPT and mandibular lines. MP/CVT: the downward opening angle between CVT and mandibular lines. OPT/NSL: the angle formed by the line tangent to the odontoid process (CV2tp) through cv2ip (the most inferior and posterior point on the corpus of the second cervical vertebra), and the nasion–sella line. CVT/NSL: the angle formed by the line tangent to the odontoid process through cv4ip (the most inferior and posterior point on the fourth cervical vertebra), and the nasion-sella line. OPT/CVT: the angle between the odontoid process tangent through cv2ip and the tangent to the odontoid process through cv4ip. NSL/VER: the angle between the nasion–sella line and true vertical. OPT/HOR: the angle between the line OPT and true horizontal. CVT/HOR: the angle between the line CVT and true horizontal. NSL/ML (cranium basis inclination related to the mandible). NSL/CVT (cranium inclination in relation to C2 and in relation to the cervical spine). Transversal roll and sagittal pitch are the units used in the inclinometer studies. RPE: rapid palatal expansion. RME: rapid maxillary expansion.
| Study | Sample Size | Treatment Design | Age | Sex | Type of Treatment | Criteria of Study |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Yagci et al. [12] |
38 | 23 patients (test) 15 patients (control) |
10.1 ±1.1 9.7±1.4 |
20 F 18 M |
RME | Transversal roll Sagittal pitch |
| Tecco et al. [13] |
45 | 23 patients (test) 22 patients (control) |
8-15 years 8.1±2.0 |
45 F | RPE | CVT/EVT OPT/Ver CVT/Ver EVT/Ver SN/OPT SN/CVT PP/OPT PP/CVT MP/OPT MP/CVT |
| Mc Guinness et al. [14] | 79 | 43 patients (test) 36 patients (control) |
10-16 years | 49F 30M |
RME | OPT/NSL CVT/NSL OPT/CVT NSL/VER OPT/HOR CVT/HOR |
| Tecco et al. [15] |
45 | 23 patients (test) 22 patients (control) |
8-15 years 8.1±2.0 |
45 F | RPE | CVT/EVT OPT/Ver CVT/Ver EVT/Ver SN/OPT SN/CVT PP/OPT PP/CVT MP/OPT MP/CVT |
| Yagci et al. [16] |
45 | 15 patients (test 1) 15 patients (test 2) 15 patients (control) |
9.6±1.3 9.5±1.5 9.8±1.6 |
22F 23M |
RPE; Conventional facemask therapy; Modified facemask therapy |
Transversal roll Sagittal pitch |
| Kilinc et al. [17] |
35 | 18 patients (test) 17 patients (control) |
10.9 10.9 |
20 F 15M |
RPE | NSL/ML NSL/CVT |