Abstract:

Aims: The ponticulus posticus (PP), a morphological variation in the atlanto-occipital region, is considered a cause of potential entrapment of the vertebral artery segment that traverses the foramen. This study investigated the prevalence and characteristics of PP in different skeletal malocclusion groups using lateral cephalograms. Methods: This retrospective study evaluated 1,400 lateral cephalometric radiographs of subjects aged between 18-40 years. The radiographs were scrutinized for the presence of PP and its types as partial or complete. We evaluated PP according to gender and skeletal malformations as skeletal class-I, II, or III (determined using Point A - Nasion - Point B angle) by two independent examiners. Results: The study included 1400 cephalograms from 607 males (43.4%) and 793 females (56.6%). The mean age was 21.96±0.24 years. PP was more common among male subjects (30.9%) compared with the female subjects (p=0.001). It was predominantly observed among the skeletal class-III (27.8%) malocclusion, followed by class-I (23.1%) and class-II (20.6%) malocclusion (p=0.049). Considering the types of PP, the partial form was more frequent among males (71.8%) and females (75.2%). Conclusions: In this study, the occurrence of PP was observed in 23.5% of the population, predominantly among males. The highest frequency of PP was in the population with skeletal class-III malocclusion.

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