A new study by physician researchers from Hasbro Children's Hospital and Children's Hospital Boston has identified an increased prevalence in left-handedness in children with a congenital disorder known as hemifacial microsomia (HFM).
The study was published in the March 2009 edition of the Journal of Craniofacial Surgery.
Overall, ten percent of the population is left-handed. A higher frequency has been associated with certain craniofacial malformations such as cleft lip and other conditions. Albert Oh, MD, director of pediatric plastic and craniofacial surgery at Hasbro Children's Hospital, along with researchers from Children's Hospital Boston, developed this study to determine if the frequency of left-handedness increased in patients with HFM. HFM is the second most common birth defect after clefts, and is a condition that affects the development of the lower half of the face. It most commonly affects the ears, mouth or jaw, and can occur on either side of the face or both.
A total of 86 patients who were diagnosed with HFM were studied and compared to a control group using several factors. The study group was 48 percent male, with an average age of 13.5 years. Of those patients, 49 percent had predominant right side involvement of HFM, while 38 percent had left side involvement and 13 percent had almost equal involvement on both sides. The control group included 96 children, 44 percent male with a mean age of 10 years.