Three-dimensional palatal development between 3 and 6 years.
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.
Ciusa
Veronica
V
Functional Anatomy Research Center, Laboratorio di Anatomia Funzionale dell'Apparato Stomatognatico, Department of Human Morphology, University of Milan, Milano,Italy.
Dimaggio
Francesca Romana
FR
Sforza
Chiarella
C
Ferrario
Virgilio Ferruccio
VF
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