Incidence of the maxillary midline diastema in adults

Technical Note: The Definition of New Dental Morphological Variants Related to Malocclusion

“…The researchers concluded that among the white sample there was a stronger genetic basis for midline diastema and that the environment could be playing a larger role in trait expression among the black sample (Gass et al, 2003). While this study reports low heritabilities, many studies have documented population differences in the expression of the trait (Huang and Creath, 1995;Lavelle, 1970;McVay and Latta, 1984;Scott and Irish, 2017), which suggests the utility of the trait in bioarchaeology and forensic anthropology. Further, as several studies have illustrated prevalence rates of canine diastemata in different populations (e.g., Keene, 1963), this trait may have value in biological anthropological studies as well.…”

“…However, in their study of nearly 6,000 radiographs, McVay and Latta (1984) found a statistically significant difference in midline diastema size between their sample groups of White, Black, and "Oriental" (sizes defined as <0.49, 0.5-1.49, >1.5 mm). A study of 759 American Black and White children also found there to be size differences, with 19% of Blacks and 10% of Whites having a midline diastema over 2 mm (Horowitz, 1970).…”

“…Anthropological research on midline maxillary diastemata has identified population, sex, and age differences in the occurrence of this trait (Edgar, 2007;Horowitz, 1970;Lavelle, 1970;McVay and Latta, 1984;Nainar and Gnanasundaram, 1989;Richardson et al, 1973). This discussion focuses on the adult dentition, as midline diastemata can commonly be found in primary and mixed dentition, and can be lost as the permanent teeth erupt (Gkantidis et al, 2008).…”

�M� Mechanics for the Management of Maxillary Midline Diastema

“…2,6 Numerous etiologies have been proposed for MMD, including tooth size or jaw size discrepancies, aberrant labial frenum attachments, parafunctional habits, tooth loss, periodontal disease, deep bites, and maxillary midline pathologies, such as supernumerary tooth. [4][5][6][7][8] There have been reports of self-inflicted pathological cases of diastema caused by tongue piercing. 4 The treatment include identification and removal of etiologic factor followed by various modalities, such as orthodontic tooth movement, restorative procedures with esthetic composite, prosthetic management of space with porcelain jacket crowns, laminates.…”

“…[4][5][6][7][8] There have been reports of self-inflicted pathological cases of diastema caused by tongue piercing. 4 The treatment include identification and removal of etiologic factor followed by various modalities, such as orthodontic tooth movement, restorative procedures with esthetic composite, prosthetic management of space with porcelain jacket crowns, laminates.…”