Morphometric analysis of the palatal shape and arch dimension in subjects with palatally displaced canine.

Objectives: The aim of this study is to analyse the morphological variations of the palate shape and maxillary arch dimension in a group of subjects with unilaterally or bilaterally impacted maxillary canines compared with a control group, using three-dimensional (3D) geometric morphometric.

Materials: The subject of this study consisted of pre-treatment records of 46 (18 males and 28 females) patients with one or both canines palatally displaced. A control group of 26 subjects was selected from a list of orthodontic patients at the same dental hospital. The subjects were divided in two study groups: unilateral palatally displaced canine (UPDC) and bilateral palatally displaced canine (BPDC). Study casts were scanned to analyse the palate's shape and maxillary arch dimension. The 3D geometric morphometric analysis was used to study the entirety of the shape of the palate. The virtual 3D models were measured with a specific software to analyse the maxillary arch dimension. (VAM, Vectra; Canfield Scientific, Fairfield, New Jersey, USA).

Results: When comparing the groups with the geometric morphometrics analysis, no significant palatal shape change was found. For the analysis of linear measurements, only a significant reduction of intercanine width was found in the UPDC and BPDC groups when compared with the control subjects.

Conclusions: Patients with palatally displaced permanent canine showed no maxillary transverse constriction or variation in palatal vault morphology but the absence of permanent teeth was associated with a reduction in the intercanine width.