The Role of Head Circumference in Determining Tooth Size for Completely Edentulous Patients in a Multi-ethnic Pakistani Sample

Abstract

Objective: To determine whether a relationship exists between the maximal fronto-occipital circumference (MFOC) and the combined width of maxillary anterior teeth (CWMAT) that could be used for estimating tooth size in edentulous patients.

Materials and Methods: This cross-sectional study was conducted at the G-7 campus of Riphah International University (Islamic International Dental College and Hospital) Islamabad, Pakistan, for 6 months (July to December 2019). The MFOC and CWMAT were measured through standardized procedures for 100 male and 100 female subjects including patients, paramedical staff, house officers and students. Subjects were categorized on the basis of age, gender and ethnicity.

Results: Mean age of the study sample was 25.96 years. Mean MFOC was 554.24 ± 23.408 while mean CWMAT was 50.98 ± 4.895. The mean ratio of MFOC to CWMAT was 11.08 for males and 10.84 for females. A significant number of subjects were Punjabis (65%) followed by Pashtun (12%) and Kashmiris (8%). The mean ratio of MFOC to CWMAT on the basis of ethnicity was 10.96 ± 1.083. Pearson’s correlation analysis showed a weakly significant association between the MFOC and CWMAT (0.15).

Conclusion: Due to the limitations of this study, the MFOC may not be a reliable measurement to accurately determine the size of the maxillary anterior teeth.