Preterm birth and its effects on craniofacial and dentoalveolar growth

Premature or preterm birth is a condition that takes place either before the 37th week of gestation or when the weight of the neonate is lower than 2500 grams (Paulsson et al., 2004; Cortines and Costa, 2016). Several factors that are related to the mother or the fetus have been considered as potential causes for this condition, whereas there is a consensus that there are potential parameters that could lead to premature birth which still remain to be identified (Hohoff et al., 2005; Seow, 1997). Despite the fact that the incidence of neonatal mortality owing to premature birth has been significantly decreased in the recent years, there are yet some side-effects that could affect specific organ systems of the fetus (Paulsson et al., 2004; Hohoff et al., 2005). Moreover, there are reports of possible influence of preterm birth on the development of the cognitive and psychological background of the affected children (Anderson and Doyle, 2008).