Relationship between mandibular anterior crowding and lateral dentofacial morphology in the early mixed dentition

Mandibular anterior crowding is identified as the discrepancy between mesiodistal tooth widths of four permanent incisors and available space in the alveolar process. However, incisor crowding is not merely a tooth-arch size discrepancy. Many variables such as direction of mandibular growth, early loss of deciduous molars, the oral and perioral musculature and incisor and molar inclination can be associated with crowding. Only few studies evaluated the relationship between mandibular anterior crowding and cephalometric measurements in the early mixed dentition. It was the aim of this study to search for dentofacial factors that might be associated with mandibular crowding in the early mixed dentition. Lateral cephalograms and dental casts of 60 children (33 girls, 27 boys) were evaluated. It was determined that patients with crowding had smaller lower incisor to NB angles, maxillary skeletal lengths, mandibular skeletal length, and mandibular dental measurements. They also had greater interincisal angles, overjet, overbite, and Wits appraisal measurements. Significant inverse correlations were found between crowding and SNB, lower incisor to NB angle, anterior cranial length, mandibular length, maxillary length, mandibular dental measurement and direct correlations between crowding and interincisal angle, overjet, overbite, and FMIA. According to these results, we conclude that crowding of the mandibular incisors is not only a tooth-arch size discrepancy. Dentofacial characteristics also contribute to this misalignment.