Original article
Maxillary width and hard palate thickness in men and women with different vertical and sagittal skeletal patterns

https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ajodo.2019.12.023Get rights and content

Highlights

  • Different skeletal patterns are associated with maxillary width and palate thickness in Chinese .

  • The above differences were similar in men and women.

  • Men had more counterclockwise rotation tendency, whereas women had more clockwise rotation.

Introduction

The objective of this research was to compare maxillary width and hard palate thickness in men and women with different vertical and sagittal skeletal patterns.

Methods

A total of 241 adults (93 men and 148 women aged from 18 to 25 years) were divided into male and female groups. Subjects were then separately divided into 3 sagittal skeletal groups and 3 vertical skeletal groups. A lateral cephalogram and a cone-beam computed tomography were taken for each subject. We measured the parameters to make statistical analyses and compared them between the different groups.

Results

Women had smaller craniomaxillofacial bone width and palatal thickness than men. In sagittal groups, maxillary width, maxillary alveolar width, and external temporomandibular joint fossa width in Class II and Class III malocclusion groups were smaller than in the Class I group for both women and men. The internal temporomandibular joint fossa width was the same results in men and women. In vertical groups, palate thickness, maxillary width, and maxillary alveolar width of the high-angle group were smaller than those of the low-angle group, regardless of sex.

Conclusions

To an extent, maxillary width is correlated with vertical and sagittal skeletal patterns, and insufficient maxillary width would lead to unfavorable skeletal patterns. Differences exist in the morphology of craniomaxillofacial bone between men and women. Therefore, these findings can provide clinicians with references for differential diagnosis and treatment plans.

Section snippets

Material and methods

The research was done at the Stomatological Hospital of Shandong University, from which information on consecutive records of 93 men and 148 women were obtained. Patients aged 18 to 25 years with permanent dentition were selected as experimental objects, excluding the effects of growth and development. All subjects were Chinese Northerners with the following exclusions: (1) craniofacial anomalies, syndromes, severe asymmetries, and clefts; (2) crossbites and history of orthodontic treatment;

Results

The retrospective power was from 0.795 to 0.942. The intraobserver reliability of the measurements of all descriptions using SPSS software was excellent, with intraclass correlation ranging from 0.812 to 0.933. The Kolmogorov-Smirnov analysis and Fanchazzi test showed that each data set conformed to the homogeneity of variance tests and normal distribution. Two-way analysis of variance showed significant differences between groups (Tables II, III, V, and VI). Therefore, craniomaxillofacial bone

Discussion

This study focused on the differences in transverse width and hard palate thickness in sagittal and vertical patterns. Although our experiment was designed on the basis of sex, we found that the transverse differences recorded in vertical and sagittal groups for both men and women were the same. When we further analyzed craniomaxillofacial morphology between the sexes, 3D differences were also found, which provides references in treatment timing and prognosis of different skeletal patterns

Conclusions

For both men and women, maxillary width, to some extent, is correlated with vertical and sagittal skeletal patterns. Insufficient maxillary width would lead to unfavorable anteroposterior and vertical skeletal types.

There are differences in the morphology of craniomaxillofacial bone between the sexes. Women tend toward a Class II and hyperdivergent pattern. The conclusion proves to clinicians that vertical control and risk assessment of temporomandibular disorder are crucial in the treatment of

Acknowledgments

The authors thank all the patients for their cooperation and contributions to the study. We also thank the School & Hospital of Stomatology, Shandong University, for providing equipment.

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    All authors have completed and submitted the ICMJE Form for Disclosure of Potential Conflicts of Interest, and none were reported.

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