Matti Kataja

The palatally displaced canine as a dental anomaly of genetic origin.

Palatal displacement of the maxillary canine tooth is a positional variation thought generally to develop as a result of local factors, such as retained deciduous canines, anomalous permanent lateral incisors, or dental crowding. This article contributes biologic evidence pointing to genetic factors as the primary origin of most palatal displacements and subsequent impactions of maxillary canine teeth. Data gathered from multiple sources are integrated to support a genetic etiology for the palatally displaced canine (PDC) on the basis of five evidential categories: 1. Occurrence of other dental anomalies concomitant with PDC; 2. Bilateral occurrence of PDC; 3. Sex differences in PDC occurrence; 4. Familial occurrence of PDC; 5. Population differences in PDC occurrence. From analysis of available evidence, the PDC positional anomaly appears to be a product of polygenic, multifactorial inheritance.

Skeletal asymmetry in esthetically pleasing faces.

An x-ray cephalographic method was used to analyze 52 exceptionally well-balanced white adult faces for skeletal asymmetry in the posteroanterior (PA) projection. Three frontal facial lines were constructed using bilateral skeletal landmarks: latero-superior orbit (LO), lateral zygoma (Zyg), and gonion (Go). All subjects demonstrated measurable asymmetries. Data showed less asymmetry and more dimensional stability as the cranium is approached. A slight tendency toward right-side dominance was not statistically significant.

The gingival smile line.

A comparative study was performed to examine the nature of the gingival smile line (GSL), a specific dentolabial configuration characterized by the exposure of maxillary anterior gingiva during a full smile. Five soft-tissue, three dental and three skeletal variables were selected, measured and reported for a GSL sample (n = 27) and a reference sample (n = 88), both consisting of North American white orthodontic patients with a median age of 14.4 years. The results indicated that the capacity to project a gingival smile was related to: anterior vertical maxillary excess and the muscular ability to raise the upper lip significantly higher than average when smiling. Other variables significantly associated with GSL were greater overjet, greater interlabial gap at rest, and greater overbite. Factors that did not appear associated with the GSL phenomenon were upper-lip length, incisor clinical crown height, mandibular plane angle, and palatal plane angle. Clinical aspects of GSL were discussed.

Prevalence of tooth agenesis and peg-shaped maxillary lateral incisor associated with palatally displaced canine (PDC) anomaly.

Fifty-eight nonsyndromic North American white orthodontic patients with palatal displacement of one or both maxillary canine teeth were studied for associated tooth agenesis and peg-shaped maxillary lateral incisors. Agenesis of permanent teeth was identified by x-ray film analysis. Conical crown-size reduction (peg-shape anomaly) of the maxillary lateral incisor (l2) was determined by direct observation. Increases in absence of third molars and second premolars associated with the palatally displaced canine (PDC) anomaly were statistically very highly significant compared with normative data for tooth-agenesis prevalence. In contrast, the prevalence of l2 agenesis in the PDC sample showed no difference statistically compared with reference values. Reasons for this posterior site-specific suppression of tooth formation are not clear. The l2 peg-shape anomaly exceeded a 10-fold elevation in expression in the PDC sample, a very highly significant increase from normal prevalence. The findings are consistent with a hypothesis that the anomalies of tooth agenesis, tooth-size reduction, and PDC are biologic covariables in a complex of genetically related dental disturbances.

Otoscopic diagnosis of middle ear effusion in acute and non-acute otitis media. I. The value of different otoscopic findings

To determine the value of different pneumotoscopic findings in diagnosing the middle ear effusion (MEE) of acute (AOM) and non-acute otitis media, 11,804 ear-related visits of 2,911 unselected children at ages 0.5-2.5 years were analysed. About half of these were examined by an otolaryngologist in one, and half by a pediatrician in another, urban area. Myringotomy was always performed when MEE was suspected, and it confirmed the presence of MEE in 85% (otolaryngologist) and 82% (pediatrician) of altogether 5,462 acute and in 69% (both doctors) of 1,092 non-acute cases suspected. Redness of the tympanic membrane (TM) was found in only 18% and 27% of the visits with AOM, and it predicted MEE with only 60% and 51% probability, if seen in acute visits. Cloudiness of the TM was noticed in 81% and 67% of the visits with AOM; its specificity and the other calculated variables were good in regard to the diagnosing of MEE, especially in acute cases in both groups. Distinctly impaired mobility of the TM was of about the same diagnostic value, but its position reliably indicated MEE only when bulging. In AOM the colour or mobility of the TM was normal very rarely, but the position was normal in a third of the cases. Thus, although there were differences in the incidences of different otoscopic findings in the two study groups, the diagnostic value of certain pneumatic otoscopic findings, especially cloudiness and distinct hypomobility of the TM, seemed to be good in both groups.

Dental maturity in Finnish children, estimated from the development of seven permanent mandibular teeth.

Overall dental maturity was studied semilongitudinally in a group of 248 healthy children born in Helsinki in 1968-73. In all, 738 orthopantomograms were taken of these children at ages of 2.5-16.5 years. Overall dental maturity was estimated by the method of Demirjian and Goldstein, which is based on the development of seven left mandibular permanent teeth. The aim of the study was to construct dental maturity curves for Finnish children and to compare their dental maturity with that of French-Canadian children studied by the same method. The Finnish children were more advanced in dental maturation than French-Canadian children (p less than 0.01). In boys the advancement was seen at the age of 5-10 years and in girls at the age of 4-12 years. These findings suggest differences in overall dental maturity among white population groups.

Some vertical lineaments of lip position

This study was performed to elucidate quantitatively upper lip-tooth-jaw relativity in the vertical dimension. Values for five linear dentolabial measurements were generated from male (n = 42) and female (n = 46) reference samples. In addition, three vertical skeletofacial dimensions and two vertical dental dimensions were recorded. A significant sexual dimorphism was found in the vertical lip-tooth-jaw relationship: the upper lip of the female subjects was positioned on average 1.5 mm more superiorly at maximum smile than the upper lip of the male subjects (p less than 0.01). High smile lines appeared to be a female lineament, and low smile lines appeared to be a male lineament. There was a significant sex difference in upper lip length: the male subjects exhibited a longer upper lip than the female subjects (p less than 0.001). The mean difference was 2.2 mm. A similarly significant male-female difference was seen in the skeletal maxillary height measurement: the male sample showed a 2.2 mm mean vertical maxillary increase over the female sample (p less than 0.001). Furthermore, a significant difference was found between the clinical crown height of the maxillary central incisors in the male and female subjects of comparable ages: the male group had longer central incisor crowns (p less than 0.01).

Mandibular lateral incisor-canine transposition, concomitant dental anomalies, and genetic control

Mandibular lateral incisor-canine (Mn.I2.C) transposition is a rare developmental disturbance of tooth order characterized by positional interchange of the two teeth. In children with Mn.I2.C anomaly, the mandibular lateral incisor shows distal ectopic eruption and the adjacent canine subsequently erupts mesial to it. A sample of 60 orthodontic patients with Mn.I2.C transposition was studied using roentgenograms taken at the time of diagnosis. Two age-related phenotypes of the anomaly were identified: early-stage (median age, 9 years) and mature-stage (median age, 12 years). Mn.I2.C transposition occurred bilaterally in 10 subjects (17%) and favored female expression (sex ratio, M1:F3) and right-side occurrence (68% of unilateral cases). Statistically significant associations were found between Mn.I2.C transposition and increased frequency of tooth agenesis (M3, p < 0.01; MnP2, p < 0.01) and peg-shaped maxillary lateral incisors (p < 0.0001). The results from this study and the analysis of 50 previously published cases provide evidence that Mn.I2.C transposition is a disturbance of tooth order and eruptive position probably caused by genetic influences. The Mn.I2.C anomaly likely results from genetic mechanisms similar to those responsible for occurrences of its associated dental anomalies, such as tooth agenesis and peg-shaped maxillary lateral incisors. In an appendix, clinical orthodontic management of Mn.I2.C transposition is discussed, based on treatment data derived from the study sample.

Dental Maturity Curves in Finnish Children: Demirjian's Method Revisited and Polynomial Functions for Age Estimation

Dental maturity was studied from 2213 dental panoramic radiographs of healthy ethnic Finns from southern Finland, aged between 2 and 19 years. The aim was to provide new Finnish maturity tables and curves and to compare the efficiency of Demirjians method when differently weighted scores and polynomial regressions are used. The inter-ethnic variations lead us to calculate specific Finnish weighted scores. Demirjians method gives maturity score as a function of age and seems better adapted for clinicians because, in their case, the maturity score is unknown. Polynomial functions give age as a function of maturity score and are statically adapted for age estimation studies. Finnish dental maturity tables and development curves are given for Demirjians method and for polynomial functions. Sexual dimorphism is established for the same weighted score for girls and boys, and girls present a greater maturity than boys for all of age groups. Polynomial functions are highly reliable (0.19% of misclassifies) and the percentile method, using Finnish weighted scores, is very accurate (+/- 1.95 years on average, between 2 and 18 years of age). This suggests that polynomial functions are most useful in forensic sciences, while Demirjians method is most useful for dental health clinicians.

Class II Division 2 malocclusion: A heritable pattern of small teeth in well-developed jaws

Angles designation of the Class II Division 2 (II/2) malocclusion recognizes a unique combination of overbite, incisor retroclination, and sagittal discrepancy. A very severe II/2 phenotype, characterized by concealment of the mandibular incisors in occlusion, has been called Deckbiss in German, or cover-bite. In this report, the cover-bite malocclusion is studied to identify morphological factors associated with Angles II/2 occlusal discrepancy. Selected X-ray cephalometric and odontometric measurements were recorded for 23 subjects (M14; F9) with II/2 cover-bite malocclusion. Data were compared with those from a control-reference sample of 537 individuals. Cephalometrically, the II/2 cover-bite sample showed a pattern of strong vertical posterior development of the mandible with forward-rotation and skeletofacial hypodivergence (p < 0.0001). Anteroposteriorly, the maxillomandibular dentoalveolar relationship was relatively normal, and the basal bone region of the mandibular corpus appeared significantly well developed anteriorly, accounting for excessive bony chin projection (p < 0.0001). Dentally, mesiodistal tooth diameters for the maxillary and mandibular incisors of the II/2 cover-bite sample were significantly smaller than those of the reference sample (p < 0.002), pointing to systematically reduced tooth-size as a trait associated with II/2 malocclusion. These findings of a characteristic pattern of heritable skeletal and tooth-size features in II/2 cover-bite malocclusion indicate the presence of strong genetic influences in the formation of Angles II/2 deep-bite discrepancy.