Background: As the various systems in the body are inter-connected to form a single structural unit, a pathological\r\ncondition in one area can also affect other areas. There are many known correlations between the visual and motor\r\nsystem. The importance of visual function, particularly the paracentral peripheral field of view, in motor\r\ncoordination, ambulation and the maintenance of balance has been amply demonstrated.\r\nIn line with current medical principles, which are moving towards a more holistic view of the human body, this\r\nstudy aims to investigate, in an interdisciplinary manner, the incidence of dental malocclusions together with\r\nposture and eye convergence disorders.\r\nMethods: Six hundred and five children attending at the 3rd, 4th and 5th years of seven Genoa primary schools\r\nwere examined. Each child underwent the following examinations: (i) dental/occlusal; (ii) orthoptic; and (iii) postural.\r\nOcclusal data concerned the presence of cross-bite, midline deviation with a mandibular shift, bad habits and deep\r\nor open bite.\r\nPostural assessment involved frontal and lateral inspection, investigation during trunk flexion and ambulation, and\r\nnote of any asymmetry in the lower limbs. The recorded orthoptic data included those pertaining to ocular\r\ndominance, a cover test, convergence and the Brock string test.\r\nResults: A prevalence of cases with an unphysiological gait was found in patients with overjet (14.70%) or overbite\r\n(14.87%), while the percentage of patients with normal occlusion that showed an unphysiological gait was 13.08%.\r\nAlso, about 93.8%ââ?¬â??94.2% of children showed normal legs without dysmetry, with no difference in respect to the\r\ntype of occlusion. Subjects with an open bite or deep bite showed a slightly different distribution of right or left\r\ndominant eyes.\r\nConclusion: About 13% of children showed a pathological gait and, among them, vertical anomalies of occlusion\r\n(deep bite or open bite) were prevalent with respect to the other occlusal defects. The vertical dimension of\r\nocclusion revealed a slight relationship with the proper dominant eye. Postural, orthoptic, osteopathic and occlusal\r\nvariables were often clinically associated, and therefore these disorders appear to request a multidisciplinary\r\nmedical approach for their treatment.
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