title: Relationship of maxillary 3-dimensional posterior occlusal plane to mandibular spatial position and morphology.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  The purpose of this study was to examine the relationship of the 3-dimensional (3D) posterior occlusal plane (POP) and the mandibular 3D spatial position. The relationship of the POP to mandibular morphology was also investigated.
  
  
  METHODS
  Retrospective data from a convenience sample of pretreatment diagnostic cone-beam computed tomography scans were rendered using InVivo software (Anatomage, San Jose, Calif). The sample consisted of 111 subjects (51 male, 60 female) and included growing and nongrowing subjects of different races and ethnicities. The 3D maxillary POP was defined by selecting the cusp tips of the second premolars and the second molars on the rendered images of the subjects. The angles made by this plane, in reference to the Frankfort horizontal plane, were measured against variables that described the mandibular position in the coronal, sagittal, and axial views. The POP was also compared with bilateral variables that described mandibular morphology.
  
  
  RESULTS
  There were significant differences of the POP among the different skeletal malocclusions (P <0.0001). The POP showed significant correlations with mandibular position in the sagittal (P <0.0001), coronal (P <0.05), and axial (P <0.05) planes. The POP also showed a significant correlation with mandibular morphology (P <0.0001).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  These findings suggest that there is a distinct and significant relationship between the 3D POP and the mandibular spatial position and its morphology.
authors.affiliation: Private practice, Coral Gables, Fla; courtesy clinical associate professor, Department of Orthodontics, College of Dentistry, University of Florida, Gainesville, Fla; adjunct faculty, Department of Orthodontics, College of Dental Medicine, Nova Southeastern University, Davie, Fla. Electronic address: jcc@drcoro.com.
authors.forename: Jorge C
authors.initials: JC
authors.lastname: Coro
authors.affiliation: Postgraduate research fellow, Department of Oral and Maxillofacial Rehabilitation, Kanagawa Dental University, Yokosuka, Japan; associate professor, Department of Orthodontics, Union de Instituciones Universitarias de Colombia, Bogota, Colombia; visiting professor, Department of Orthodontics, University of Cartagena, Cartagena, Colombia.
authors.forename: Roberto L
authors.initials: RL
authors.lastname: Velasquez
authors.affiliation: Private practice, Coral Gables, Fla.
authors.forename: Ivette M
authors.initials: IM
authors.lastname: Coro
authors.affiliation: Professor, Department of Orthodontics, College of Dentistry, University of Florida, Gainesville, Fla.
authors.forename: Timothy T
authors.initials: TT
authors.lastname: Wheeler
authors.affiliation: Research assistant professor, Department of Biostatistics, Colleges of Medicine, and Public Health and Health Professions, University of Florida, Gainesville, Fla.
authors.forename: Susan P
authors.initials: SP
authors.lastname: McGorray
authors.affiliation: Director, Research Institute of Occlusion Medicine, Kanagawa Dental University, Yokosuka, Japan.
authors.forename: Sadao
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Sato
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D002648:Child; D054893:Cone-Beam Computed Tomography; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D021621:Imaging, Three-Dimensional; D008297:Male; D008310:Malocclusion / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging*; D008334:Mandible / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging*; D008875:Middle Aged; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D055815:Young Adult