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Maxillary versus mandibular arch form differences in human permanent dentition assessed by Euclidean-distance matrix
V F Ferrario1, C Sforza, A Miani
1Laboratorio di Anatomia Funzionale dell'Apparato Stomatognatico, Facoltà di Medicina e Chirurgia, Università degli Studi, Milano, Italy.
Archives of Oral Biology
|February 1, 1994
Summary
Euclidean-distance matrix analysis revealed significant differences in dental arch form between male and female subjects. Both maxillary and mandibular arches showed distinct shapes, with all teeth contributing to these variations.
Area of Science:
- Dentistry
- Anthropology
- Biometrics
Background:
- Understanding dental arch morphology is crucial for orthodontics and human biology.
- Previous studies have explored dental arch dimensions, but comprehensive shape analysis using advanced methods is ongoing.
Purpose of the Study:
- To quantitatively analyze and compare dental arch forms in young adult males and females.
- To investigate the contribution of individual teeth to overall arch shape differences between sexes.
Main Methods:
- Utilized Euclidean-distance matrix analysis (EDMA) on dental casts from 95 young adults (50 men, 45 women).
- Identified 14 landmarks on the occlusal surfaces of permanent teeth (second molar to second molar).
- Computed linear distances between all tooth pairs to assess arch shape and size differences.
Main Results:
- Significant differences in maxillary and mandibular arch forms were observed between sexes.
- The maxillary arch was consistently larger than the mandibular arch in both males and females.
- All teeth played a role in differentiating arch shapes, with EDMA distinguishing anterior and posterior tooth influences.
Conclusions:
- Euclidean-distance matrix analysis effectively differentiates dental arch shapes between sexes.
- Both arch size and shape vary significantly between male and female dental arches.
- Individual teeth, both anterior and posterior, contribute distinctly to the determination of upper and lower arch characteristics.