Late lower arch crowding: the role of the transverse dimension

Fifty subjects who were followed longitudinally between 13 and 18 years showed an average increase in lower arch crowding of 2.36 mm. This increase in crowding was examined in relation to tooth width, arch width and jaw width, actual and relative, and to changes in these dimensions with correlation and multiple regression analyses. No relationship was found between width dimensions and late crowding in the lower arch.