Palatal dimensions and some inherited factors (body height and metacarpal index)

The relationship between the palatal dimensions and inherited factors such as body height and arachnodactyly, i.e., spider fingers, were studied in a sample of 87 patients with high and narrow palatal vaults, chosen from 1008 randomly selected patients at an orthodontic clinic. The patients with high palates were significantly taller than Swedes of the same sex and age (p < 0.001). Established arachnodactyly was not found in the examined sample. Sucking habits neither seem to influence crowding nor the palatal dimension at the molar region. Mouthbreathing strengthened but was not a pre-requisite for the significant correlation between palatal height and body height. The predominant orthodontic diagnoses included crowding, extreme maxillary overjet and postnormal occlusion as can be expected in a sample of orthodontic patients. The study will serve as a reference material for further investigations of patients with the Marfan syndrome where high palate, high stature and arachnodactyly are important features.