title: Quantitative method for the classification of human mandibular condyles.
abstract: This study is concerned with the classification of mandibular condyles on the basis of the shape of their frontal section. In a previous work, Yale et al. [Oral Surg. 16: 572-577, 1963] had divided mandibular condyles into 4 groups: flat, convex, angled, and round. The distinction between them had been found upon simple inspection. In this paper a quantitative method is proposed, in which mandibular condyles may be classified into the same 4 groups according to inequalities concerning measurable parameters of their frontal section. The process is greatly facilitated by the use of a programmable computer. The proposed method has been applied to a sample of 254 human mandibles (hence 508 condyles); the percentage of each group has been the following; flat 11%; convex 38%; angled 41%, and round 10%. It is plausible to surmise that the quantitative character of the proposed method may be of significant use in oral radiology as well as in anthropological research.
mesh_terms: D002965:Classification / Q000379:methods; D006801:Humans; D008335:Mandibular Condyle / Q000033:anatomy & histology*