Changes in the mandibular angle in the edentulous state

Several textbooks of anatomy and at least one prosthodontic text make unsupported statements that the mandibular angle widens in the edentulous state. A search of the literature for support of those statements shows a disparity in conclusions on the subject. Several reports merely make statements that the angle does widen in the edentulous mandible. These articles present no original research. There are reports in the literature that lend some verification of the widening of the mandibular angle. However, an approximately equal number report nonwidening of the angle in the edentulous state. From these conflicting reports it would seem that if indeed there is a widening of the mandibular angle in the edentulous state, it is slight. This is verified by the results of this study which shows a mean increase of 2.4 degrees in the edentulous state (p = .001). The mean edentulous angle in this study was 126.3 degrees. This does not come close to the 140 degrees mentioned in two anatomy texts. If statements are to be made in the literature concerning this widening of the edentulous mandibular angle, they should be qualified with the words "slight widening." Several articles have stated that dentures prevent widening of the mandibular angle. This conclusion is refuted by a preliminary study in which we measured the mandibular angles of edentulous men patients who have never worn dentures. Sixty-eight angles were measured on 34 Panelipse radiographs.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)