title: Palate and alveolar ridge development in predental infants: a longitudinal study.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To investigate the developmental process of palate morphology, including the alveolar ridge, in healthy infants for the predental period of 7 months from immediately after birth.
  
  
  METHODS
  The subjects were 32 healthy infants. Four or more dental casts were taken of each subject from immediately after birth until 7 months, for a total of 144 dental casts. Twelve characteristics were then measured in order to morphologically study the subjects' palate development. Principal component analysis (PCA) was performed to investigate morphological changes in the palatal vault.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The 12 characteristics were classified into either the alveolar ridge characteristics group, which determined the size of the alveolar ridge, or the palate characteristics group, which determined palate morphology, with each group showing different growth patterns. The characteristics of width and length increased with age in the alveolar ridge characteristics group; this correlation was maintained throughout the predental period. Meanwhile, in the palate characteristics group, the characteristics showed major developmental changes in the first 2 to 3 months after birth, but the changes were subsequently fewer from 3 to 7 months. The PCA of the palatal vault showed that the first principal component increased until 3 months but subsequently ceased to change.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  In predental infants, growth patterns of palate morphology differed according to their characteristics. There were major developmental changes in the palate during the first 3 months after birth. The study findings suggest that palate growth in the first half of the predental period may affect subsequent palate growth.
authors.affiliation: Nihon University Graduate School of Dentistry at Matsudo, Matsudo, Chiba, Japan.
authors.forename: F
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Ishida
authors.affiliation: The University of Tokyo Graduate School of Agricultural and Life Sciences, Tokyo, Japan.
authors.forename: Y
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Ukai
authors.affiliation: Nihon University School of Dentistry at Matsudo, Department of Pediatric Dentistry, Matsudo, Chiba, Japan Nihon University Research Institute of Oral Science, Matsudo, Chiba, Japan.
authors.forename: T
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Shimizu
mesh_terms: D000539:Alveolar Process / Q000254:growth & development*; D003817:Dentition; D006801:Humans; D007223:Infant; D008137:Longitudinal Studies; D010159:Palate / Q000254:growth & development*