Three‐dimensional hard tissue palatal size and shape in human adolescents and adults

Abstract

Hard tissue palatal dimensions and shape in 29 boys and 32 girls (mean age 14 years) and 30 men and 35 women (mean age 20 years), all with a complete permanent dentition including the second molars, and free from respiratory problems, were analyzed. Palatal landmarks were digitized with a computerized 3D instrument, and their coordinates were used to derive a mathematical model of palatal form. Palatal shape (size-independent) was assessed by a four-order polynomial in the sagittal and frontal plane projections. Palatal dimensions in the frontal and sagittal planes were computed, and compared between ages and sexes by two-way factorial analyses of variance. The effect of age on palatal shape was different in the two sexes: while in females the curves in both the frontal and sagittal planes were practically superimposed, in males the youngest subjects had somewhat 'lower' curves than the oldest subjects. Sex had a significant (p<0.05) effect for all variables. Age was significant only for palatal slope in the sagittal plane (p<0.01), and for raphe inclination in the horizontal plane (p<0.05). For all variables but palatal length in the sagittal plane, a significant (p<0.01) sexxage interaction was found: while in males all linear variables were larger in adults than in adolescents, the reverse was found in females. Overall, while in adolescent females palatal form appeared to have already attained adult characteristics, in males some modifications between adolescence and young adulthood were measured. These modifications should be taken into consideration as a possible factor of relapse after orthodontic treatment.

Odontological Approach to Sexual Dimorphism in Southeastern France

“…Ferrario et al. (30) noted that the intra‐arch measurement showing the most important sexual dimorphism was between the right and left first permanent molars at the intersection of the palatal sulci with the gingival margin; this is completely consistent with this study. These two particular intra‐arch dimensions were used for sex prediction, and the accuracy obtained was of ∼ 71% in the main sample and ∼65% in the validation sample.…”

Morphometry of the hard palate in Down's syndrome through CBCT‐image analysis

“…In parallel, indirect analyses have been performed on two‐dimensional projections, using photographs or radiographs . These techniques have been shown to be valid for the study of cephalometric measurements or morphology of the dental arches, but they are very limited for the evaluation of palatal morphology . Digitization of the reference points avoids some of the difficulties of two‐dimensional techniques, but it does not make up for the loss of the third dimension, which is essential to perform a full quantitative analysis of the palate.…”

Numerical modeling of human mastication, a simplistic view to design foods adapted to mastication abilities

“…and the distance AK and AF (AF r ). For any position of F, the distance of the corresponding tooth from the sagittal plane can be obtained by using the polynomial fit from Ferrario et al [18,24,25]. This allows comparison of the forces at specific tooth locations to directly compare with experimental data.…”