[Ultrasound structural assessment of masseter muscles in subjects with different types of craniofacial growth].

The Aim Of The Study: Was to assess the correlation of various maxillofacial structures in subjects with different types of craniofacial growth.

Materials And Methods: The results of comparing the morphology of the masseter muscles (thickness, area, echostructure) in 30 volunteers aged from 18 to 25 years without malocclusions and different type of craniofacial growth were presented.

Results: A significant correlation between the thickness of the masseter muscles and morphology of the facial skull was observed: the smallest thickness of masseter muscles was in subjects with vertical type of craniofacial growth, the largest - in patients with horizontal type of craniofacial growth. The study results improved ultrasound technique of masseter muscles assessment including methods for measuring the thickness, area and echostructure on ultrasound images.

Conclusion: The obtained results may be seen as reference points for assessment of the same structures in patients with malocclusions.