A physico-mechanical model of postnatal craniofacial growth in human.

Our fundamental understanding of the physico-mechanical forces that drive the size and shape changes of the cranium during ontogeny are limited. Biomechanical models based on finite element method present a huge opportunity to address this critical gap in our knowledge. Here, we describe a validated computational framework to predict normal craniofacial growth. Our results demonstrated that this approach is capable of predicting the growth of calvaria, face, and skull base. We highlighted the crucial role of skull base in antero-posterior growth of the face and also demonstrated the contribution of the maxillary expansion to the dorsoventral growth of the face and its interplay with the orbits. These findings highlight the importance of physical interactions of different components of the craniofacial system. The computational framework described here serves as a powerful tool to study fundamental questions in developmental biology and to advance treatment of conditions affecting the craniofacial system such as craniosynostosis.