Diagnosing Maxillary Occlusal Cant with Average 3-Dimensional Skeletofacial Model Template

Area of Science:

• Dentistry
• Orthodontics
• Craniofacial Anatomy

Background:

• Maxillary occlusal cant diagnosis lacks complete classification methods.
• Distinguishing between bilateral equal faults and unilateral over/underdevelopment is challenging.
• A novel average 3D skull template is proposed for classifying maxillary occlusal cant.

Purpose of the Study:

• To introduce and validate an average 3D skull template for classifying maxillary occlusal cant.
• To analyze the prevalence of different cant classifications (overdevelopment, underdevelopment, equal fault) in relation to facial types.
• To investigate the association between facial morphology and patterns of maxillary occlusal cant.

Main Methods:

• Sixty adult patients were categorized into mesoprosopic (n=30) and leptoprosopic (n=30) facial types.
• Average 3D skull models were aligned and superimposed onto patient skull models using 7 pairs of anatomical landmarks.
• Maxillary occlusal cant was analyzed by measuring vertical distances from the first molar cusp tip to the Frankfort horizontal plane.

Main Results:

• In mesoprosopic patients, underdevelopment (Class B) was most frequent (40%), followed by overdevelopment (Class A, 27%) and equal fault (Class C, 33%).
• In leptoprosopic patients, underdevelopment (Class B) was also most prevalent (50%), followed by overdevelopment (Class A, 43%) and equal fault (Class C, 7%).
• Statistical analysis confirmed a significant association between facial types and the observed cant classifications.

Conclusions:

• Maxillary underdevelopment is a more common cause of occlusal cant than previously assumed.
• The prevalence of cant patterns differs significantly between mesoprosopic and leptoprosopic facial types.
• Average 3D skeletofacial models serve as an effective tool for diagnosing maxillary occlusal cant.