title: An assessment of the fit of a parabolic curve to pre- and post-treatment dental arches.
abstract: Study casts of the teeth are routinely used for diagnosis and to assess treatment change: the crowding of the teeth or shortage of space available within the dental arch is usually assessed visually. A full cast analysis program has been developed previously, making use of the three-dimensional Reflex Plotter linked to a computer. This study examines the validity of the fit of computer generated parabolic curves to dental arches, as performed in the measurement of crowding. Using a visual analogue method it was found that the parabola appeared to fit lower post-treatment dental arches best. However, reservations regarding the fit of symmetrical curves are expressed and other solutions suggested.
authors.affiliation: Department of Child Dental Health, Dental School, Heath Park, Cardiff.
authors.forename: M L
authors.initials: ML
authors.lastname: Jones
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Richmond
mesh_terms: D003724:Dental Arch / Q000033:anatomy & histology*; D006801:Humans; D007091:Image Processing, Computer-Assisted; D008310:Malocclusion / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000628:therapy; D008963:Molar; D011336:Probability; D014087:Tooth Movement Techniques