Clinical types of hard palatal vault in people with various gnathic dental arches within physiologically optimal norm

Abstract

The study is based on an analysis of conebeam computed tomograms and biometric examination of jaw cast models obtained from 68 people aged 21–35 with permanent teeth physiological occlusion. The findings were used to identify the relationship between the morphometric values (height, depth) of the palatal vault, and the linear parameters (length, width) of dental arches. In patients with mesognathic dental arches, the palatal vault index, taken as a ratio between the palate height to the alveolar part width, was 41.14 ± 2.87%, whereas the width indicators exceeded (by 2.43 times on average) the hard palate vault depth parameters. People with dolichognathic dental arches had the value of the palatal vault index reaching 51.75 ± 2.57%, while the width indicators exceeded the depth parameters of the hard palate vault by 1.93 times on average. In patients with brachygnathic dental arches, the palatal vault index was 28.29 ± 2.62%, with the width indicators exceeding the depth parameters by 3.53 times on average. There is evidence showing that mesognathic dental arches have mesopalatal (proportional) palatal vault matching them, while in case of dolichognathic dental arches, the match is dolichopalatal (high and narrow) type of vault. As for brachygnathic dental arches, then the match is brachypalatal, i.e. a low and wide vault. The obtained data can be used in clinical orthodontics, orthopedic dentistry, as well as maxillofacial surgery to assess the hard palate parameters, to diagnose palatal vault pathologies, and to select respective treatment approaches in view of the dental arches shape and size anomalies.