Variants of the typical variability of alveolar arches in different craniotypes

Background. The implementation of the principles of evidence-based medicine in applied and fundamental research consists in the precision of morphometric measurements in determining the types, dimensions and spatial location of the facial and cerebral parts of the skull. Published scientific data on the variability of morphometric parameters of the alveolar arches are contradictory and heterogeneous due to the lack of definition of interdependencies with gender, age characteristics and individual features of the skull. Goal . Investigation of the regularities between morphometric values and forms of the alveolar arches of the upper jaw in mesocrane, brachycrane and dolichocrane types of the skull. Materials and methods . Morphometry was performed on 93 preparations of skulls with lower jaws of both sexes of the first and second periods of adulthood with physiological types of bite and the shapes of the alveolar arches of the upper jaw were established. Taking into account the value of the transverse-longitudinal index, the skulls of mesocrane (n=54; 58.1%), brachycrane (n=23; 24.7%) and dolichocrane (n=16; 17.2%) types were identified. The length, width, depth and diagonal of the alveolar arches were studied as morphometric parameters. Results. The minimum and maximum limits of fluctuations of values, average statistical indicators, coefficients of variation are determined. The variability of the parameters of the alveolar arches of the upper jaw depending on the shape of the facial skull and gender characteristics was established. It is proved that the smallest values of the depth of the alveolar arch of the upper jaw are noted in brachycranes, the largest – in dolichocrans, while the smallest dimensions of the length, width of the alveolar arch of the upper jaw are determined in dolichocrans, and the largest – in brachycranes, while the smallest diagonal values of the alveolar arch of the upper jaw are revealed in mesocrans. Conclusions . The shape of the alveolar arches in the mesocrane type of skull has a proportional arcuate shape, in brachycrania − an arcuate «wide and short» shape, in dolichocrania − an arcuate «narrow and long» shape. The obtained new data on the variant variability of the alveolar arches should be used when planning treatment tactics for patients with complete adentia.