A biometric comparison of face shape with denture tooth form

Dentist and patient preferences are often used to select replacement teeth in prosthodontics. Face shape compared with inverted tooth form classifications based on Leon William's work are currently used. Shapes of teeth and faces have been referred to as square, ovoid or tapered, or some combination of these. Six patients, three male and three female, were selected as being classically square, tapered or ovoid in facial form. Three sets of dentures had been made for each patient with tapering, ovoid and square denture teeth. Using a standardized photographic technique, full face views with profiles and close-ups of the teeth were taken. Then from standardized enlarged tracings, key anatomic and derived points were marked, digitized and computer analysed. The face shapes and inverted tooth forms were digitized in the same manner. A comparison of tooth moulds versus the actual denture teeth shows a highly significant difference (P less than 0.001) between set and unset denture teeth. There is also a significant difference (P less than 0.001) between facial form and denture teeth using temporal zygomatic and gonial widths for faces, compared with incisal, contact, and cervical widths for the teeth.