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Relation of musical wind instruments to malocclusion
Journal of the American Dental Association (1939)
|March 1, 1976
Summary
Playing a musical wind instrument has unpredictable effects on individual anterior teeth. While group trends exist for certain instrument classes, playing wind instruments is not a substitute for orthodontic treatment.
Area of Science:
- Dentistry
- Orthodontics
- Pediatric Dentistry
Background:
- Dental occlusion and tooth alignment are crucial for oral health.
- Musical wind instruments require specific lip and intraoral pressure.
- The impact of wind instrument playing on developing dentition is not fully understood.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the effects of playing musical wind instruments on the anterior teeth of early adolescent beginners.
- To compare dental measurements between wind instrument players and a control group.
Main Methods:
- A double-blind study involving 84 seventh graders (instrument players and a control group).
- Dental impressions and plaster casts were taken at the study's start and end.
- Overjet and overbite measurements of anterior teeth were recorded from casts.
Main Results:
- Individual effects of wind instrument playing on anterior teeth were unpredictable.
- Group analysis suggested potential class-specific effects of certain musical instruments.
- No significant orthodontic changes were observed that would replace formal treatment.
Conclusions:
- Playing musical wind instruments does not yield predictable individual changes in anterior teeth.
- The study does not support using wind instruments as an alternative to orthodontic interventions.
- Further research may explore class-specific influences of wind instruments on dental occlusion.