Condylar asymmetry and age in patients with an Angle's Class II division 2 malocclusion.

The relationship of age to condylar asymmetry varies for different groups of patients with temporomandibular disorders. Those with a problem of myogenous origin show a parabolic curve, while those with an arthrogenous problem show a linear relation. A group of control subjects with no signs or symptoms of temporomandibular disorders showed no correlation between age and asymmetry index. A group of 17 patients with no signs or symptoms of temporomandibular disorders but with Angle's Class II Division 2 malocclusions and deep overbite, was studied for an age-condylar asymmetry relationship. Only patients with a maximum of one missing tooth, other than third molars, were included. As a control, a group of 22 individuals with an Angle's Class I occlusion was considered. The same exclusion criteria as above was applied to this group. Age-asymmetry indicies were plotted for both groups. No correlation between age and asymmetry index was found in either group (coefficients of determination 0.054 and 0.002, respectively). This may support the conclusion that Angle's Class II Division 2 malocclusion with deep overbite is not a major factor in the aetiology of these disorders.