Tooth diameters and arch perimeters in a black and a white population

This study was undertaken to test the hypothesis that a sample of black patients will have larger mesiodistal tooth diameters and larger dental arch perimeters than a corresponding sample of white patients. In this study, the black sample's mean canine, first and second premolar, and first molar mesiodistal diameters were significantly larger than those of the white sample. The dental arches of the black patients were significantly wider and deeper but did not show significantly more crowding. Gender and race differences did exist, but gender differences were controlled by sampling procedures. The black sample also had a larger mean MP-SN angle but this was not accompanied by the increased crowding and the narrower dental arches that had been reported associated with high-angle white samples.