Cephalometric craniofacial features of growing patients with chronic renal failure Yousef Al-Thomali a,b , Tarek H. El-Bialy b, * a Dental School, Taif University, Taif, Saudi Arabia b Department of Dentistry, University of Alberta, Edmonton, Alberta, Canada 1. Introduction Chronic renal failure (CRF) is defined as the progressive and usually irreversible decline of the glomerular filtration rate, leading to an increase of serum creatinine and blood ureic nitrogen levels. 1 Another definition of CRF involves decreased glomerular filtration rate (GFR) below 50-mL/1.73 m 2 /min persisting for more than 3 months. 2 The reported prevalence of CRF in children up to the 18 years of age in Kingdom of Saudi Arabia is 20.4 Per Million Population (pmp) 3 which is lower than the figures from western countries such as the United Kingdom 4 and Sweden. 1–8 The causes of CRF vary from one geographical area to another due to genetic and environmental factors. 2 Some of these etiologic factors are preventable whilst in others, appropriate medical treatment and interventions may retard a r c h i v e s o f o r a l b i o l o g y 5 7 ( 2 0 1 2 ) 2 5 7 – 2 6 3 a r t i c l e i n f o Article history: Accepted 21 September 2011 Keywords: Craniofacial morphology Chronic renal failure (CRF) Children Cephalometric analysis a b s t r a c t Introduction: Chronic renal failure (CRF) in growing children can affect their physical growth status. The objective of this research was to study the craniofacial morphology of children with CRF as evaluated by cephalometric analysis. Methods: Twenty-three growing children with CRF were included in this study. They were divided into three groups according to age ranges. The age ranges were >5–11 (group 1); >11– 14 (group 2); >14–16 (group 3). Another twenty-three matching controls (in age and gender) were also included. Lateral cephalometric radiographs were taken as part of these children’s orthodontic records. Lateral cephalometric radiographs were corrected for magnification distortion, digitized, and cephalometric analysis was performed. Data were analysed using ANOVA test. Results: The results showed that CRF patients in all age groups have statistically signifi- cantly decreased posterior cranial base lengths. Posterior facial heights showed a significant decrease in CRF patients in groups 1 and 2. Younger CRF patients (group 1) showed statistically significant increased gonial angle and FH-Mandibular plane angle, SN-Mandib- ular plane angle and decreased posterior to anterior face height ratio, total anterior facial height (N-Me), Mandibular body length (Go-Me), upper anterior facial height (N-ANS), Y axis length, pterygomaxillary-A point length. Conclusion: Younger children (groups 1 and 2) with CRF showed a decrease in posterior facial growth (posterior facial height and posterior cranial base) when compared to matching normal controls. This decrease is not significant in older group (group 3). This finding suggests that children with CRF might catch up in growth with normal subjects and most of the earlier retarded growth features disappear with age. # 2011 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved. * Corresponding author at: University of Alberta, Faculty of Medicine and Dentistry, 4051 Dent/Pharm Bldg., Graduate Orthodontic Program, Edmonton, Alberta, Canada T6G 2N8. Tel.: +1 780 492 2751; fax: +1 780 492 1624. E-mail address: telbialy@ualberta.ca (T.H. El-Bialy). Available online at www.sciencedirect.com journal homepage: http://www.elsevier.com/locate/aob 0003–9969/$ – see front matter # 2011 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved. doi:10.1016/j.archoralbio.2011.09.010