Size of Maxillary Anterior Teeth in Relation to Selected Facial Anatomic Landmarks among a Group of Subjects in Port Harcourt

Aims: The study aims to correlate the intercanthal distance (ICD), interalar width (IAW), and intercommissural width (ICoW) to the intercanine width [ICW] and the width of the philtrum to the size of central incisors.

Study Design: It was a cross-sectional study conducted at the Department of Restorative Dentistry, University of Port Harcourt Teaching Hospital in the month of October, 2015.

Methodology: The study was conducted among dental students, dental surgery assistant trainees and patients attending the restorative clinic of our institution. A sample of 115 participants was employed. Measurements of ICD - distance between the inner angles of the palpebral fissure; IAW - distance between the ala of the nose at the widest point; PW- width of the philtrum; and ICoW- the position of the corners of the mouth, at rest were done with the aid of a manual vernier caliper. For accuracy, each parameter was measured three times following which the average was taken. ICW-intercanine width and width of central incisors were determined indirectly using dental floss stretching from the lateral surface of one tooth to the other along the greatest curvature of the arch. Descriptive statistics was performed and Pearson’s correlation coefficient was employed to determine the level of correlation between two parameters. Significance was set at P=0.05.

Results: The mean age of the participants was 28.52 years ±9.037. The intercommisural width has the greatest mean, 53.3±0.451. The mean of the philtrum was about the size of 1 central incisor. The mean for ICW was 47.4 mm (0.951), ICD was 31.7 mm ±0.376 and that of IAW was 38.1 mm ±0.421. The Pearson correlation coefficient varied from poor to weak.

Conclusion: The width of the philtrum was about the size of one central incisor. It appears the width of the philtrum could be used to estimate the size of central incisor No anatomic facial landmark provided significant predictive value for ICW. Level of correlation varied from poor to weak among the different anatomic facial landmarks investigated.