Didatica

ORIGINAL ARTICLE

Appropriate proportions as guidelines in selection of anterior denture teeth
Nikola Petričević1, Asja Čelebić1, Lejla Ibrahimagić-Šeper2, Ivan Kovačić3
Department of Prosthodontics, School of Dental Medicine, University of Zagreb, Croatia; 2 Health Centre Zenica, Bosnia and Herzegovina; 3 Dental Polyclinic, Split, Croatia
1

ABSTRACT Aim To examine width-to-length and tooth-to-tooth width ratios of maxillary anterior teeth and to compare the obtained proportions with the width-to-length ratio of the hard palate, the Golden Proportion and the 75 % Proportion. Methods The widths and the lengths of the clinical crowns of the maxillary anterior teeth were measured. Hard palate width and length were measured. Width-to-length ratio of the hard palate was calculated, as well as width-to-length ratios of the maxillary anterior teeth. Further, tooth-to-tooth width ratios were calculated for all maxillary anterior teeth. Results Comparison between width-to-length ratios of the maxillary anterior teeth and the 75 % Proportion, the Golden Proportion and the proportion of hard palate revealed statistically significant differences (p0.05). There was no statistically significant difference between men and women (independent t test, p>0.05). There was also no significant difference between tooth dimensions on the left and the right side of the dental arch (paired t test, p>0.05). Therefore, mean values for the maxillary anterior teeth dimensions and for the hard palate dimensions were calculated. Mean values of the anterior maxillary teeth dimensions are presented in Figure 1 and mean values of the hard palate width and length are presented in Figure 2. The width-to-length ratios of the hard palate and of the maxillary anterior teeth, as well as tooth-to-tooth ratios of the maxillary anterior teeth are presented in Table 1.

* W1, width of the maxillary central incisor; W2, width of the maxillary lateral incisor; W3, width of the maxillary canine; L1,