Abstract
This study aimed to evaluate the association between single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) in endochondral development-related genes and mandibular condyle shape, size, volume, and symmetry traits. Cone-beam Computed Tomographies and genomic DNA from 118 individuals were evaluated (age range: 15-66 years). Data from twelve 3D landmarks on mandibular condyles were submitted to morphometric analyses including Procrustes fit, principal component analysis, and estimation of centroid sizes and fluctuating asymmetry scores. Condylar volumes were additionally measured. Seven SNPs across BMP2, BMP4, RUNX2 and SMAD6 were genotyped. Linear models were fit to evaluate the effect of the SNPs on the mandibular condyles' quantitative traits. Only the association between BMP2 rs1005464 and centroid size remained significant after adjusting to account for the false discovery rate due to multiple testing. Individuals carrying at least one A allele for this SNP showed larger condylar size than common homozygotes GG (β = 0.043; 95% CI: 0.014-0.071; P value = 0.028). The model including BMP2 rs1005464, age and sex of the participants explained 17% of the variation in condylar size. Shape, volume, and symmetry were not associated with the evaluated SNPs. These results suggest that BMP2 rs1005464 might be associated with variation in the mandibular condyles size.