Relationship between facial biotype and vertical occlusal dimension in patients at the Dr. Rene Puig Benz dental clinic at the Pedro Henriquez Ureña National University, May- August 2025.
Description
The vertical occlusal dimension (DVO) is related to function and aesthetics, highlighting the concept of facial biotype, used in orthodontics and oral rehabilitation. The aim of this study was to determine the relationship between facial biotype and DVO in patients at the Dr. René Puig Bentz dental clinic. A cross-sectional experimental study was conducted with 200 patients (116 women and 84 men) over the age of 18, predominantly women and young people (18–29 years). The overall DVO was 66.66 ± 6.19 mm, higher in men (70.82 ± 4.63 mm) than in women (63.65 ± 5.37 mm), with highly significant differences according to sex (p = 6.82 × 10⁻¹⁹). By facial biotype, dolichofacial presented the highest DVO (67.59 ± 6.22 mm), followed by mesofacial (65.54 ± 6.21 mm) and brachyfacial (65.06 ± 5.39 mm), with significant differences between biotypes (p = 0.04). The post-hoc test showed that there was only significance between dolichofacial and mesofacial biotypes. The dolichofacial biotype predominated in all ages, sexes, and Kennedy classes. According to the Niswonger method, increased DVO was more frequent in young people and men, while normal VOD predominated in older adults. No significant differences were observed by age (p = 0.56). In conclusion, the results support our hypothesis (H1), establishing a significant relationship between facial biotype and DVO, highlighting the relevance of the dolichofacial biotype as a factor associated with higher DVO in participants.
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Steps to reproduce
Establishing the type of study was the main task for the objectives set; a cross-sectional experimental design was chosen because the aim was to relate the vertical occlusal dimension to the facial biotype of each patient. The next step was to define the location and time frame, which was carried out at the Dr. Rene Puig Benz dental clinic at the Pedro Henríquez Ureña National University between May and August 2025. The necessary criteria were taken into account for the selection of the universe and the sample. The universe consisted of Dominican patients of legal age who attended the Dr. René Puig (UNPHU) clinic between May and August 2025, and the final sample consisted of 200 active and newly admitted patients. A pilot test was calibrated and operationalized to verify the feasibility of the research and avoid errors during its development. It should be noted that both in the pilot test and in the data collection, informed consent was implemented to obtain the voluntary permission of patients to participate in the study. Once the pilot test had been verified, data collection was carried out in the prosthetics area over a period of twenty working days in morning, afternoon, and evening shifts. Patients were selected according to inclusion and exclusion criterion. During data collection, a space was set up where physical records were filled out containing information such as name, age, sex, Kennedy classification, facial measurements, morphological index, facial biotype, and a facial photo and facial measurements of the thirds of the face to determine the type of face. The instrument used was a digital caliper. To use this instrument, patients remained seated with their heads parallel to the floor and looking straight ahead. Once the data collection was complete, a database was created in Microsoft Excel, where the data obtained was processed and tables were created to organize and analyze the data according to the research objectives.
Institutions
- Universidad Nacional Pedro Henríquez UreñaNacional, Santo Domingo