title: The form of the human dental arch.
abstract: The human dental arch form is shown to be accurately represented mathematically by the beta function. The average correlation coefficient between measured arch-shape data and the mathematical arch shape, expressed by the beta function, is 0.98 with a standard deviation of 0.02. Forty sets of casts--15 Class I, 16 Class II, and 9 Class III--were examined. A precision machine tool device was used to record the X-, Y-, and Z-coordinates of selected dental landmarks on all casts to 0.001 mm accuracy. The coordinates were processed through a computer curve-fitting program. The Class III mandibular arches had smaller arch depth and greater arch width (beginning in the premolar area) than the Class I arches. The Class II mandibular arches exhibited generalized reduced arch width and depth compared with the Class I arches. Maxillary arch depths were similar in all three groups. However, the Class III maxillary arch widths were greater from the lateral incisor-canine area distally compared with the Class I maxillary arch, and the Class II maxillary arch form was narrower than the Class I arch form from the lateral incisor-canine area distally. The beta function more accurately described the dental arch form than representations previously reported.
authors.affiliation: Vanderbilt University Medical Center, USA.
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Braun
authors.forename: W P
authors.initials: WP
authors.lastname: Hnat
authors.forename: D E
authors.initials: DE
authors.lastname: Fender
authors.forename: H L
authors.initials: HL
authors.lastname: Legan
mesh_terms: D003724:Dental Arch / Q000033:anatomy & histology*; D006801:Humans; D016018:Least-Squares Analysis; D008310:Malocclusion / Q000473:pathology*; D008334:Mandible / Q000033:anatomy & histology; D008437:Maxilla / Q000033:anatomy & histology; D008954:Models, Biological; D003765:Models, Dental; D012016:Reference Values; D015203:Reproducibility of Results