الخلاصة

Facial asymmetry is a normal finding in clinically symmetrical faces. The asymmetry in general was either functional and/or structural in nature. The objective of this study was to investigate the relationship of the amount and direction of facial asymmetry in clinically symmetrical faces with class I normal occlusion to handedness, and to discover if there is any relation of occlusal bite force with handedness and facial asymmetry in Iraqi Arab adult sample. The sample was 60 untreated Iraqi adult persons, 30 right handers, 30 left handers and each group consisted of 15 males and 15 females, with age range 18-25 years. For each subject a posteroanterior radiograph was taken, and then a maximum molar bite force was measured digitally in the first molar area on each side. All subjects of the sample showed skeletal asymmetry although they have normal occlusion and it was significantly greater in right handers than in left handers (P<0.05).