ObjectiveThe purposes of this study were to determine the accuracy of crown and root length measurements of premolars using cone-beam computed tomography (CBCT) and to generate reference CBCT-based data on incisor, canine, and premolar lengths in patients with malocclusions.MethodsImaging was performed using a CBCT scanner with a 0.292-mm voxel size and 12-bit grayscale. The CBCT-based length measurements were compared with direct measurements of 94 subsequently extracted premolars without metal restorations using the paired t-test. Furthermore, the crown and root lengths of incisors, canines, and premolars in 62 Korean patients with malocclusions were measured using CBCT, and Pearson's correlation coefficients were calculated to examine the relationship between the crown and root length measurements of each tooth type.ResultsThe differences between the CBCT-based and direct measurements of the extracted premolars were not significant, with 95% limits of agreement of -0.90 to 0.90 mm for crown length and -1.23 to 1.18 mm for root length. Weak positive correlations between the crown and root length measurements were observed for the mandibular canine and premolars.ConclusionsThe CBCT-based measurements showed a wider range of limits of agreements for root length than for crown length. The CBCT-based data can be used as a reference for evaluating root length and resorption of teeth without metal restorations in patients with malocclusions.

ObjectiveThe additional arch length required for leveling (AALL) the curve of Spee (COS) can be estimated by subtracting the two-dimensional (2D) arch circumference, which is the projection of the three-dimensional (3D) arch circumference onto the occlusal plane, from the 3D arch circumference, which represents the arch length after leveling the COS. The purpose of this study was to determine whether the cusp tips or proximal maximum convexities are more appropriate reference points for estimating the AALL.MethodsSixteen model setups of the mandibular arch with COS depths ranging from 0 mm to 4.7 mm were constructed using digital simulation. Arch circumferences in 2D and 3D were measured from the cusp tips and proximal maximum convexities and used to calculate the AALL. The values obtained using the two reference points were compared with the paired t-test.ResultsAlthough the 3D arch circumference should be constant regardless of the COS depth, it decreased by 3.8 mm in cusp tip measurements and by 0.4 mm in proximal maximum convexity measurements as the COS deepened to 4.7 mm. AALL values calculated using the cusp tips as reference points were significantly smaller than those calculated using the proximal maximum convexities (p = 0.002).ConclusionsThe AALL is underestimated when the cusp tips are used as measurement reference points; the AALL can be measured more accurately using the proximal maximum convexities.