A Geometric Classification of Jaw Deformities

Abstract

In the United States, the most widely used classification system for jaw deformities is the one provided by the Center for Medicare and Medicaid Services and the National Center for Health Statistics. This classification is part of the International Classification of Diseases, Clinical Modification (ICD-CM), a taxonomy scheme that is based on the World Health Organization’s ICD, the world’s standard diagnostic tool for epidemiology, health management, and clinical care. 1 The most recent iteration of ICD-CM, the Tenth Revision (ICD-10-CM), sorts jaw deformities according to geometry into 3 groups: anomalies of jaw size, anomalies of the relation between the jaw and the cranial base, and unspecified (Table 1). 2 However, these deformities can affect 6 different geometric attributes: size, position, orientation, shape, symmetry, and completeness. In clinical practice and in teaching, the authors have found the ICD-CM classification to be incomplete and disjointed. With this in mind, the authors have developed a better classification system. The purpose of this report is to present it.