Dentoalveolar Heights in Vertical and Sagittal Facial Patterns.

OBJECTIVE To determine and compare the mean dentoalveolar heights (mm) in different vertical and sagittal facial patterns. STUDY DESIGN Cross-sectional study. PLACE AND DURATION OF STUDY Orthodontics Clinic, The Aga Khan University Hospital, Karachi, from September to November 2013. METHODOLOGY Subjects, aged 15 - 20 years, having fully erupted first permanent molars and central incisors were included in the study from orthodontic records. The pretreatment cephalographs of subjects were traced manually over an illuminator. The various parameters like angles and dentoalveolar heights were measured and recorded on data collection form. Mean value ± SD for the variables were generated. ANOVAwas used to compare the means of dentoalveolar heights among the vertical and sagittal facial patterns. Post Hoc Bonferroni test was applied to show difference among the three vertical and three sagittal facial patterns. P-value equal to or less than 0.05 was taken as statistically significant. RESULTS The mean age of subjects was 15.8 ±3.2 years in vertical group and 16.3 ±2.9 years in sagittal group. There was statistically significant difference (p=0.008) for the upper anterior dentoalveolar height (UADH) among vertical groups, with statistically significant difference for UADH between hyperdivergent and normodivergent (p=0.04) and hyperdivergent and hypodivergent (p=0.01) facial patterns. CONCLUSION The UADH were significantly greater in the hyperdivergent group as compared to both the normodivergent and hypodivergent groups. The sagittal groups showed no statistically significant difference for dentoalveolar heights.