{"status":"ok","message-type":"work","message-version":"1.0.0","message":{"indexed":{"date-parts":[[2026,10,22]],"date-time":"2026-10-22T15:55:17Z","timestamp":1792684517498,"version":"4.5.0"},"reference-count":53,"publisher":"MDPI AG","issue":"3","license":[{"start":{"date-parts":[[2025,3,18]],"date-time":"2025-03-18T00:00:00Z","timestamp":1742256000000},"content-version":"vor","delay-in-days":0,"URL":"https:\/\/creativecommons.org\/licenses\/by\/4.0\/"}],"content-domain":{"domain":[],"crossmark-restriction":false},"short-container-title":["Children"],"abstract":"<jats:p>Background: Childhood obesity and overweight conditions impact systemic health and craniofacial development. Objectives: This review assessed the influence of elevated body mass index (BMI) on craniofacial morphology, considering age, sex, and ethnicity. Methods: A comprehensive search of Scopus, Web of Science, Embase, Cochrane, PubMed, and OpenGrey was conducted following PRISMA guidelines. Ten cross-sectional studies involving 1383 individuals aged 6 to 18 years were included. The sample comprised 812 females and 571 males, with most studies focusing on adolescents aged 12\u201318 years of different ethnicities depending on the study. Craniofacial structures were compared between overweight\/obese and normal weight groups through cephalometric analysis. Study quality was assessed using the Newcastle\u2013Ottawa Scale (NOS). Results: Overweight and obese individuals showed significant craniofacial changes, including increased anterior cranial base length, maxillary and mandibular dimensions, bimaxillary prognathism, and greater soft tissue thickness. These alterations may be influenced by differences in tissue composition, hormonal fluctuations, fat-to-bone ratio, and metabolic disorders. Variations in skeletal divergence, dental alignment, and airway space were also observed. The methodological quality ranged from moderate to high. Conclusions: Excess weight during growth is linked to distinct craniofacial alterations. Orthodontic diagnostics should integrate metabolic and hormonal considerations to optimize treatment outcomes. These changes should be carefully considered by orthodontists and pediatric dentists. Longitudinal studies are needed to understand the long-term effects of obesity on craniofacial development.<\/jats:p>","DOI":"10.3390\/children12030377","type":"journal-article","created":{"date-parts":[[2025,3,18]],"date-time":"2025-03-18T07:20:00Z","timestamp":1742282400000},"page":"377","update-policy":"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.3390\/mdpi_crossmark_policy","source":"Crossref","is-referenced-by-count":5,"title":["Obesity and Overweight Conditions in Children and Adolescents (6\u201318 Years) and Their Impact on Craniofacial Morphology: A Systematic Review"],"prefix":"10.3390","volume":"12","author":[{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0009-0002-3315-0112","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Alessio","family":"Verdecchia","sequence":"first","affiliation":[{"name":"Orthodontics Division, Instituto Asturiano de Odontologia, Universidad de Oviedo, 33006 Oviedo, Spain"},{"name":"Department of Surgical Sciences, Postgraduate School in Orthodontics, University of Cagliari, 09124 Cagliari, Italy"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0002-7549-8590","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Carlota","family":"Su\u00e1rez-Fern\u00e1ndez","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Surgery and Medical-Surgical Specialities, School of Medicine and Health Sciences, University of Oviedo, 33003 Oviedo, Spain"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Ivan","family":"Men\u00e9ndez Diaz","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Orthodontics Division, Instituto Asturiano de Odontologia, Universidad de Oviedo, 33006 Oviedo, Spain"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0002-9192-2435","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Veronica Garc\u00eda","family":"Sanz","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Orthodontics Teaching Unit, Department of Stomatology, Faculty of Medicine and Dentistry, University of Valencia, 46010 Valencia, Spain"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0003-4563-9804","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Enrico","family":"Spinas","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Surgical Sciences, Postgraduate School in Orthodontics, University of Cagliari, 09124 Cagliari, Italy"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0003-3244-1049","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Teresa","family":"Cobo","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Orthodontics Division, Instituto Asturiano de Odontologia, Universidad de Oviedo, 33006 Oviedo, Spain"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]}],"member":"1968","published-online":{"date-parts":[[2025,3,18]]},"reference":[{"key":"ref_1","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","unstructured":"The Lancet Diabetes Endocrinology (2022). 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