title: Association between mandibular posterior alveolar morphology and growth pattern in a Chinese population with normal occlusion.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To investigate the relationship between growth patterns and mandibular posterior tooth-alveolar bone complex morphology in a Chinese population with normal occlusion.
  
  
  METHODS
  Forty-five patients with normal occlusion (23 males, 22 females) were included in this study. Among these patients, 20 displayed the vertical growth pattern, and 20 had the horizontal growth pattern, while the remaining patients displayed the average growth pattern. All of the patients underwent dental cone beam computed tomography (CBCT), which included the region of the mandibular posterior teeth and the alveolar. A linear regression analysis and a correlation analysis between the facial height index (FHI) and the alveolar bone morphology were performed.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The inclination of the molars, the thickness of the cortical bone, and the height of the mandibular bone differed significantly between patients with the horizontal growth pattern and those with the vertical growth pattern (P<0.05). Significant positive correlations were found between: the FHI and the inclination of the molars; the FHI and the thickness of the cortical bone; and the FHI and the height of the mandibular bone.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The mandibular posterior tooth-alveolar bone complex morphology may be affected by growth patterns.
authors.affiliation: Department of Orthodontics, Shandong Provincial Key Laboratory of Oral Biomedicine, Shandong University, Jinan 250012, China.
authors.forename: Min
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Han
authors.forename: Rong-yang
authors.initials: RY
authors.lastname: Wang
authors.forename: Hong
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Liu
authors.forename: Xiu-juan
authors.initials: XJ
authors.lastname: Zhu
authors.forename: Fu-lan
authors.initials: FL
authors.lastname: Wei
authors.forename: Tao
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Lv
authors.forename: Na-na
authors.initials: NN
authors.lastname: Wang
authors.forename: Li-hua
authors.initials: LH
authors.lastname: Hu
authors.forename: Guo-ju
authors.initials: GJ
authors.lastname: Li
authors.forename: Dong-xu
authors.initials: DX
authors.lastname: Liu
authors.forename: Chun-ling
authors.initials: CL
authors.lastname: Wang
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000539:Alveolar Process / Q000033:anatomy & histology* / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging; D002681:China; D054893:Cone-Beam Computed Tomography; D003766:Dental Occlusion; D005145:Face / Q000033:anatomy & histology* / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D016014:Linear Models; D008297:Male; D008334:Mandible / Q000033:anatomy & histology* / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging; D015203:Reproducibility of Results; D014070:Tooth / Q000033:anatomy & histology* / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging; D055815:Young Adult