The morphological characteristics of the anterior teeth in relation to the facial biotype of Dominicans who visit the Dr René Puig Bentz dental clinic for diagnosis.
Description
Dental morphology demonstrates that the shape of teeth is neither random nor arbitrary. Rather, each shape is closely linked to the function that each tooth performs in craniofacial development, chewing, phonetics, and aesthetics. Understanding the morphology of healthy, intact teeth allows students and professionals in dentistry to design biological preparations and restorations to treat damaged teeth. Facial biotype refers to the morphological characteristics of the face and can be classified into three categories dolichofacial, brachyfacial, and mesofacial according to the face's horizontal and vertical proportions. Morphological characterization of anterior teeth in relation to facial biotype is fundamental to personalizing dental treatments, especially with regard to aesthetics and prosthetic planning. These proportions can be determined using established facial parameters. This study was a descriptive, observational, cross-sectional study. It identified morphological characteristics related to the facial biotype of Dominicans visiting the diagnostic area of the Dr. René Puig Bentz Dental Clinic at Pedro Henríquez Ureña National University. It was cross-sectional because the information was collected at a single point in time. The study was conducted with 759 patients who visited the diagnostic area of the Dr. René Puig Bentz dental clinic. A calculation was made using the clinic's patient database data from the September-December 2024 academic period to obtain the sample. The sample was extracted from the patient population using the finite population sample calculation, where N equals the population size, Z equals the confidence level, p equals the probability of success or the expected proportion, q equals the probability of failure, and d equals the precision (the maximum permissible error in terms of proportion). This calculation resulted in a sample size of 257 patients. Statistical analysis showed that there is no significant association between facial biotype and dental morphology of the anterior incisors. This means that although some groups have similarities, the shape of the face does not determine the shape of the teeth. Based on these results, clinical practice in the Dominican Republic should adopt an individualized approach. The choice of tooth shape should be based on more than just facial biotype; additional factors such as gender, age, smile line, and each patient's aesthetic expectations should also be considered to achieve functional and aesthetically pleasing restorations. These results confirm the null hypothesis (H0) of the study, which states that there is no significant statistical relationship between facial biotype and anterior tooth morphology. Therefore, the alternative hypothesis (H1) is rejected; there is a significant relationship between anterior tooth morphology and facial biotype in Dominican patients who visit the Dr. René Puig Bentz dental clinic.
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Steps to reproduce
Information for this study was collected using a data collection tool that gathered data such as age, sex, and nationality, as well as photographs of each patient. The obtained data was documented in an Excel spreadsheet in order and sent to the statistician for analysis. For the study, volunteers sat in a 90-degree position facing forward, with their lower jaw parallel to the floor and the Frankfurt plane. This ensured that the distance from the camera lens to each patient's face was consistent. The photographs were taken with an iPhone 14, which has two rear cameras: a wide- angle (12 MP, f/1.5) and an ultra-wide-angle (12 MP, f/2.4). An auxiliary light was used to enhance the photographs. The vertical midline was positioned at the center of the patient's face, and the horizontal line was positioned at the base of the patient's nose. Two photos of each patient's face were taken and stored with the corresponding number on the collection form to avoid confusion. Next, intraoral photos were taken using the same parameters as the facial photos but with shorter coupling to reduce the horizontal distance and obtain sharper images without using the camera zoom. The mouthpiece was placed, and the patient was asked to close their teeth in their normal position. For all respondents, the vertical midline between the two incisors and the horizontal line passing through the incisal edge of both central incisors were placed on the camera screen The William method was used to determine tooth shape. For this method, a cross was drawn to divide the tooth into four quadrants. For a square tooth, the proximal margins should be straight for at least half of the cervico-incisal length of the crown. For a triangular tooth, the proximal margins should converge from the incisal to the cervical area. For an ovoid tooth, the proximal margins should be biconvex. Rotating the photographs 180° on the vertical axis was the best way to identify these shapes. To determine the facial biotype of each individual, the three-line method of Daniel Telles was used: three horizontal lines were drawn, one at the hairline, one at the temporomandibular joints (TMJs), and one at the angle of the jaw. The face was considered triangular if the hairline was longer than the other lines, ovoid if the horizontal line of the TMJs was longer, and square if the three lines were equal.
Institutions
- Universidad Nacional Pedro Henriquez Urena