An Observational Cross-sectional Study to Determine Maxillary and Mandibular Dental Arch Forms in the Saudi Population

Abstract

Aim: The aim of this study is to assess various dental arch forms of the Saudi population. Materials and Methods: Irreversible hydrocolloid impressions were made of the maxillary and mandibular arches of 100 dentate male and female participants to obtain study casts. A standardized method was used to photograph the maxillary and mandibular dental arches on the study casts taken from each participant. The dental arch outline forms of the maxillary and mandibular arches were determined using a standardized method. The mean of five prosthodontist’s evaluations was considered who classified the outline tracings of the maxillary and mandibular dental arches visually. The Chi-square test was used for statistical analysis and the results were tabulated. Results: The most predominant maxillary dental arch form is square arch (40%) in males and both ovoid arch (42%) and square arch (40%) in females. The most predominant mandibular dental arch form is the square arch (>50%) in both males and females. Conclusion: There was no significant gender difference seen within the dental arch forms among the population group studied. The determined maxillary and mandibular dental arch forms are useful in the selection and arrangement of artificial teeth among Saudi edentulous patients undergoing prosthetic treatment.

Keywords

• mandibular dental arch form
• maxillary dental arch form
• ovoid arch
• square arch
• tapered arch