Helmet therapy for positional cranial deformations; a 5-year follow-up study.

The aim of this study was to assess the long-term effects of helmet therapy in its use for positional cranial deformation, such as plagiocephaly and brachycephaly, by evaluating head shapes in children with a 5-year interval. These children were included at a neonatal age, with a deviating cranial shape classified as positional deformation, and received different forms of therapy, varying from none to physical and helmet therapy combined. Cranial shape was measured before and after therapy, using plagiocephalometry. Both positional plagiocephaly and positional brachycephaly decrease significantly in prevalence and severity over time (P = 0.031 and P < 0.001, respectively), with average relative reductions of 194.5% in ODDI (P = 0.001) and of 878.4% in CPI (P < 0.001). Although the decrease in ODDI and CPI did not significantly vary between treatment methods, ODDI is shown to significantly decrease in case of therapy opposed to no therapy, especially if treatment consists of both physical therapy and helmet therapy (P < 0.001). The long-term effects of therapy are therefore beneficial in the treatment of positional plagiocephaly and will increase the reduction in ODDI, especially in case of both physical and helmet therapy.

The Perception of Esthetic Importance of Craniofacial Elements.

ABSTRACT: The human face is an important human structure, often judged by its esthetics. It serves great purpose, as it is and always has been involved in both cultural matters, such as art, as well as biological matters, such as exhibition of emotion and mate selection. Throughout history, there have been multiple studies on what makes a face attractive. Despite the myriad ways in which the face has been explored academically, there has been a lack of reports on which craniofacial elements are deemed the most important for attractiveness subjectively. To fill up this gap on the perception of the esthetics of the human face, as well as to provide a contemporary view on the matter, this research was conducted. Participants were asked to fill out a questionnaire with a visual analogue scale for each craniofacial element and questions about appearance satisfaction. A total of 299 participants were enrolled in this study. Eyes, hair and teeth were deemed to be the most important craniofacial elements for attractiveness. Women scored teeth, hair, and eyebrows significantly higher than men, men scored higher in satisfaction with their own appearance than women. Older people, married people and people in a relationship care less about the opinion of others regarding their appearance. The results from this study can be used to identify a focus in the future development of esthetically related matters, such as plastic surgery or art and will add to the academic knowledge on the perception of craniofacial beauty.

Demographics of Positional Plagiocephaly and Brachycephaly; Risk Factors and Treatment.

ABSTRACT: In the last 3 decades, the incidence of positional cranial deformations in infants, such as positional plagiocephaly and positional brachycephaly, has increased. The deviating shape often causes parental concern for the later psychosocial wellbeing of the child. Treatment options are nonoperative, varying from positional change to helmet therapy, of which the effect has often been debated. Multiple risk factors have been associated with an increased risk on the development of these deformations. The goal of this study was to assess the impact of known risk factors on the type and severity of resulting positional cranial deformation.Parents were asked to fill out a questionnaire regarding the presence of risk factors, such as gender, age, pregnancy duration, method of delivery and reasons for atypical deliveries, breech position, birth weight, developmental status, positional preference, family history, number of siblings, and torticollis presence. Treatment methods were documented and plagiocephalometry was used to measure the cranial proportions. All children were invited to participate in short-term follow-up. The significance of the risk factors and the effect of different kinds of therapy are discussed. Although no significant correlation was found between severity and risk factors, some risk factors could be correlated with the kind of positional cranial deformation. Of the different therapies, helmet therapy had a significant impact on the reduction of positional plagiocephaly.

The Effect of Cranial Shape on Esthetic Self-Worth in Bald Men.

ABSTRACT: During the last 3 decades, the incidence of positional plagiocephaly and brachycephaly has increased. Treatment options are conservative and can include physiotherapy and molding helmet therapy. The decision to start therapy is based on patient history and subjective assessment of cranial shape by the physician and the parents. To determine the impact of these deformations on esthetic self-worth, as well as cranial shape, this study was conducted on a population of adult bald men.Participants were asked to fill in a questionnaire about the amount of comments received on cranial shape, as well as grade their general esthetic and grade craniofacial features using a visual analogue scale. The cranial proportions and symmetry were measured using plagiocephalometry.50 adult bald men were included in this study. The prevalence of nonsynostotic plagiocephaly was 12%; the prevalence of nonsynostotic brachycephaly was 0%. No significant correlation was found between plagiocephaly or brachycephaly, cranial circumference, width or length and amount of comments on cranial shape, cosmetic assessment of appearance or cosmetic assessment of cranial shape. On average, teeth and eyes were given the highest cosmetic value, eyebrows and chin were given the lowest scores.Cranial shape does not have a significant impact on the amount of comments received on cranial shape, nor the cosmetic assessment of either overall appearance or cranial shape in bald men. For bald men, eyes and teeth are more important craniofacial features in cosmetic assessment. There is no clear esthetic need to treat deviating cranial shape with helmet therapy in male patients.