Abstract

PAULINO, Vera Susana; PAREDES-GALLARDO, Vanessa; GANDIA-FRANCO, José Luis  and  CIBRIAN-ORTIZ DE ANDA, Rosa María. Evolution of dental arches characteristics in two age groups. RCOE [online]. 2005, vol.10, n.1, pp.47-54. ISSN 1138-123X.

Introduction: Dimensional characteristics of dental arches between two groups of age, adolescents and adults, are compared to analyze the variations associated with age, sex and influence of orthodontic treatment. Material and methods: Two samples of 88 pairs of stone models from adolescents (average age, 14.05 years) and 65 from adults (average age, 22.15 years) were selected. After cast scanning, a digital program was used to measure dental mesiodistal diameters, intercanine and intermolar widths, arch lengths and lower dental crowding. For the statistic analysis the samples of each age group were divided by sex and by the fact of having been treated or not with orthodontics. Results: The values of the mesiodistal diameters in males were greater than in females, and greater in adolescents than in adults, especially in females. The intercanine distance decreased with age in females and the maxillary intermolar distance decreased in untreated females, while the mandibular one increased in males. Both arch lengths decreased in both sexes, mainly in the untreated individuals. There is an increase of the anteroinferior dental crowding with age in both sexes in the treated group. Conclusions: The loss of dental material with age associated to a greater decrease of arch length could be another factor in the later crowding. Also the mesial displacement of the teeth to a narrower part of the arch could explain the decrease in the intercanine and intermolar widths.

Keywords : Arch dimensions; Odontometry; Dental crowding.