Related Experiment Video
Updated: Jun 25, 2026

Measuring Maxillary Posterior Tooth Movement: A Model Assessment using Palatal and Dental Superimposition
Published on: February 23, 2024
Mandibular rotation and remodeling changes during early childhood
Objective:
To describe the mandibular rotation and remodeling of younger children.
Materials And Methods:
The sample included 43 males and 43 females who participated in the Bolton-Brush Growth Study at Case Western Reserve University in Ohio. They were chosen on the basis of having Class I (n = 45) or Class II (n = 41) molar relationships and longitudinal lateral cephalograms at three developmental stages of the dentition: late primary (T1: 5.7 +/- 0.5 y), early mixed (T2: 8.4 +/- 0.6 y), and full permanent dentition (T3: 15.4 +/- 0.5 y). Each subject's cephalograms were traced and four landmarks were digitized. Cranial base and mandibular superimpositions were performed with the use of natural reference structures.
Results:
Yearly rates of true rotation, apparent rotation, and angular remodeling showed significant (P < .05) changes throughout. True rotation was moderately correlated with angular remodeling and apparent rotation. Although no significant sex differences in annual rates of rotation were noted, subjects with Class I molar relationships showed significantly more angular remodeling from T2-T3 than did subjects with Class II molar relationships. Rates of true forward rotation were significantly greater with T1-T2 than with T2-T3 (1.3 and 0.7 degrees/y, respectively).
Conclusion:
Although significant amounts of true mandibular rotation and angular remodeling occur during childhood and adolescence, true rotation is greatest during the transition from late primary to early mixed dentition.
Related Concept Videos
Teeth
In the bud stage, the tooth germ (an aggregation of cells) starts to form in the developing jawbone. During the cap stage, the tooth germ differentiates into enamel organ, dental papilla, and dental sac, which will later develop into the tooth's enamel, dentin and...
Bone Remodeling
Changes in the Appendicular Skeleton with Age
Initially, the limb buds consist of a core of mesenchyme covered by a layer of ectoderm. The ectoderm at the end of the limb bud thickens to form a narrow crest called the apical ectodermal ridge. This ridge stimulates the underlying...
Bone Formation by Intramembranous Ossification
The process begins when mesenchymal cells in the embryonic skeleton gather together and differentiate into osteogenic cells, which then develop into...
Development of the Oral Microbiota
Bone Remodeling and Repair
