Three-dimensional study of different skeletal craniofacial patterns from the eighteenth to the twenty-first century in a Portuguese population.

Objective: To evaluate the most frequent skeletal craniofacial pattern. Methods: Cone beam computed tomography images were obtained for a sample of 332 skulls from the eighteenth, nineteenth and twentieth centuries. A sample of 150 individuals from the twenty-first century was also included. The different skeletal craniofacial patterns were then classified into subclasses according to Slavicek´s method. Results: Over the centuries, skeletal Class II malocclusion has been more prevalent, mainly in the nineteenth century. The skeletal Class I subclass neutral maxilla and neutral mandible (N-N) has presented higher values since the nineteenth century (above 60%), and the skeletal Class II subclass prognathic maxilla and neutral mandible (P-N) have been increasing. Conclusion: In the Portuguese population, the most common skeletal pattern was skeletal Class II malocclusion. From the nineteenth to twenty-first century, there is an increase in the value of skeletal Class I malocclusion, and subclass N-N is undoubtedly the most frequent.