Determining the Relationship Between Craniofacial and Dental Measurements in a Nigerian Population and its Usefulness in Maxillary Anterior Teeth Selection

Abstract

Objective: Maxillary anterior teeth selection for an edentulous patient is carried out majorly to achieve pleasant aesthetics. Facial measurements are one of the most frequently used measures for estimating maxillary teeth size however; these measures have not been proven to be useful in the Nigerian population. This study aimed to determine if craniometric and facial measurements can be used to predict intercanine width (ICW) in the Nigerian population.

Methods: The study was a descriptive cross-sectional study conducted at the Prosthodontics clinic, in the teaching hospital. An interviewer administered questionnaire was used to collect data on socio-demographic characteristics. Craniofacial and dental measurements including: circumference of the head (COH), innercanthal distance (ICD), interalar width (IAW), intercommisural width (ICoW) and ICW were also collected for all participants.

Results: A total of 120 subjects aged 18–48years participated in this study. Of the 120 participants, 58 were male and 62 were female. Craniometric and facial measurements were greater in men than women with significant differences for all variables tested (p<0.01). No significant difference was seen between men and women for ICW (p>0.05). Among all the craniofacial measurements, only IAW showed significant correlation with ICW (r=0.218; p<0.05). Logistic regression was used to assess predictability and only IAW provided significant predictability for ICW. ICW can be calculated using the formula: ICW= 45.845+ (0.215 x IAW).

Conclusion: The study showed that craniofacial measurements are significantly higher in men than women and that IAW can be used to predict ICW in the Nigerian edentulous population.

Keywords: Intercanine width, measurements, Interalar width, Circumference of head