title: Three-dimensional palatal development between 3 and 6 years.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To measure palatal landmarks of healthy nonpatient children aged 3 to 6 years with a normal deciduous dentition and to evaluate palatal shape independent of size.
  
  
  METHODS
  Fifty-eight dental casts of children with a normal and complete deciduous dentition were obtained and digitized with a computerized 3D instrument. At all ages, male and female data did not differ (Student's t-test), so the pooled values were considered. Dimensions were compared between ages by analyses of variance.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Palatal slope and height increased significantly as a function of age (P < .001). Palatal length did not change with age (average: 23.1 mm). In the frontal plane, the intermolar width increased slightly with age by about 1.8 mm at the second molars, 1.1 mm at the first molars, and 0.9 mm at the canines. Palatal height in the frontal plane did not change in the posterior part of the palate, but decreased anteriorly. The intercanine distance increased by 0.9 mm with age. However, this change did not reach statistical significance.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Between 3 and 6 years of age, palatal shape changed and became proportionally higher in both the frontal and sagittal planes.
authors.affiliation: Functional Anatomy Research Center, Laboratorio di Anatomia Funzionale dell'Apparato Stomatognatico, Department of Human Morphology, University of Milan, Milano,Italy.
authors.forename: Veronica
authors.initials: V
authors.lastname: Ciusa
authors.forename: Francesca Romana
authors.initials: FR
authors.lastname: Dimaggio
authors.forename: Chiarella
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Sforza
authors.forename: Virgilio Ferruccio
authors.initials: VF
authors.lastname: Ferrario
mesh_terms: D000704:Analysis of Variance; D002508:Cephalometry / Q000379:methods; D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D021621:Imaging, Three-Dimensional; D008297:Male; D021362:Palate, Hard / Q000033:anatomy & histology / Q000254:growth & development*; D012016:Reference Values; D014094:Tooth, Deciduous