Craniofacial morphology of the frontonasal segment in patients with one or two macrodontic maxillary central incisors

The purpose was to describe the craniofacial morphology of the frontonasal segment in patients with one or two macrodontic central incisors. Latero-lateral head radiographs from 21 patients were analyzed. Cephalometric analyses were performed with focus on the morphology of the frontonasal segment of the cranium, including nasal bone, maxilla, thickness of the frontal bone, sella turcica, and the anterior cranial fossa. The macrodontic incisors are located in this frontonasal segment. Increased values compared with normal were observed in the following: the length of the nasal bone (P = 0.038), the thickness of the frontal bone (P = 0.003), the length of the sella turcica (P = 0.006), the cranial base angle (P = 0.036), the length of the anterior cranial fossa (P = 0.002), and the height (P = 0.042) and length (P = 0.011) of the maxilla. The prognathia of the maxilla was significantly decreased (P = 0.003). The depth of the sella turcica and the inclination of the maxilla were normal. This study is a new example of how the morphology of the dentition and the underlying jaw (the frontonasal segment) are interrelated. It is also an example of how the maxillary incisors and jaws are interrelated with the anterior cranial base, including the sella turcica morphology.