[Diastemata in 3-year-old children without malocclusion]

In children aged 3 years without malocclusion the dental arches were studied for the occurrence, position and size of diastemata (interdental clefts). In the studied children most arches had diastemata (in 95% of cases in the upper arch and in 80% in the lower arch). It is concluded that the behaviour of the contact points between teeth is not a characteristic feature of the teeth of children aged 3 years. It seems that the presence of "closed" dental arches--without diastemata, and "open" with diastemata, confirms the presence of two types of dental arches of milk teeth.