Original paper

Changes of mandibular dental arch shape during adolescence and its influence on late mandibular incisor crowding

Zigante, Martina; Pavlic, Andrej; Radunovic, Vaska Vandevska; Mathewson, Alana; Knezevic, Ana Kotarac; Spalj, Stjepan

HOMO Volume 70 No 3 (2019), p. 185 - 192

published: Nov 11, 2019
published online: Sep 5, 2019
manuscript accepted: May 17, 2019
manuscript revision received: May 13, 2019
manuscript revision requested: May 3, 2019
manuscript received: Dec 4, 2017

DOI: 10.1127/homo/2019/1070

BibTeX file

ArtNo. ESP139007003001, Price: 29.00 €

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Abstract

The aim was to analyze the changes in mandibular dental arch shape during adolescence and assess its relation to late mandibular incisor crowding. Longitudinal study included 68 orthodontically untreated subjects (49% female) and analyzed their data for the ages of 12, 15, 18 and 21 years. Measurements included anterior arch depth, intercanine, interpremolar/anterior and intermolar/posterior width, Little’s Irregularity and Bolton’s index and the ratio between anterior arch depth and width. Males had significantly greater posterior widths than females at any age (p < 0.05). The anterior arch depth continuously decreased (p < 0.05), while width increased after the age of 18 years. Mandibular incisor crowding increased during all investigated periods (p < 0.05). The increase of intercanine width at 12-21 years of age reduced the risk for mandibular incisor crowding in the same period by 74% (OR: 0.265: 95% CI 0.076–0.931; p = 0.045). The shape of mandibular dental arch continues to change during adolescence becoming more squared while mandibular incisor crowding increases. The increase in mandibular intercanine width reduces the risk of crowding.

Keywords

mandibular dental arch shapemandibular incisor crowdingadolescence, environmental influencehereditary influence