Changes in Dental Arch Dimensions Expressed on the Basis
of Tooth Eruption as a Measure of Biologic Age
COENRAAD F. A. MOORREES and ROBERT B. REED
Forsyth Dental Center, Harvard School of Dental Medicine, Harvard School of Public Health
Longitudinal studies have traditionally in-
terpreted growth and development in terms
of chronologic age, enabling ready applica-
tion of the findings to the general popula-
tion. By their nature these studies have also
contributed to the recognition of marked
variations in the rate and timing of each
growth phase in individual children.
The variance contributed by differences
in the timing of growth phenomena impairs
the precision of statistical description, re-
sulting inevitably in a smoothed version of
actual progress.' When instead of chronolog-
ic age the initiation of a growth or develop-
mental event is used as origin in the statis-
tical treatment of individual records, the in-
crements or effects of the event can be de-
termined more satisfactorily. The average
velocity curve will also be steeper because
differences in the chronologic age at which
a specific phase occurs are neutralized.
Previous studies of dental development,
conducted with reference to chronologic age,
clearly showed that changes in arch dimen-
sions were triggered by the appearance of
permanent teeth.2 Re-analysis of the data
on the basis of dental age was undertaken
to evaluate the effectiveness of the approach
advocated, to compare results of findings
obtained in terms of calendric versus bio-
logic age, and, hopefully, to furnish a better
definition of growth changes of the dental
arches.
Materials and Methods
The data for studying the intercanine
distance and arch length were obtained from
two collections of serial dental casts. The
greater part of the material (132 individuals)
was obtained in the longitudinal studies of
This investigation was supported in part by a grant from the
Charles H. Hood Dairy Foundation and by USPHS Research
Grant D-1066 from the National Institute of Dental Research,
National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, Md.
Received for publication February 10, 1964.
child health and development in the Harvard
School of Public Health, directed by Dr.
Harold C. Stuart.3 4 It was augmented by
dental casts of 52 children examined by Dr.
Richard H. Stucklen, in a privately con-
ducted investigation of dental development.
Odontometric studies have already been
reported, utilizing the serial dental casts of
these 84 male and 100 female North Ameri-
can white children.2
To provide a biologic time scale for each
individual, the emergence and eruption to
occlusal contact of permanent teeth were
catalogued for the children who had ac-
quired an excellent alignment of the perma-
nent teeth and essentially parabolic-shaped
dental arches at the end of the observation
period (sixteen to eighteen years). A range
of normal variation from perfect alignment
and approximal contact of the teeth was
established (3 mm. crowding to 3 mm. spac-
ing), adhering to the same criteria for selec-
tion of individual series of casts as in the
original study, in order to compare findings.
The crowding or spacing when approach-
ing the maximal limit of tolerable variation
should not be confined to one or two teeth in
a dental arch. On occasion, extractions made
it impossible to use both the maxillary and
mandibular dentitions in an individual child.
However, mutilations of the deciduous den-
tition were disregarded as an excluding fac-
tor for the normal series. Reference is made
to a previous publication2 for information on
the limitations of the material and a de-
scription of the samples studied.
Methods of measuring dental arch di-
mensions were as follows (Fig. 1): The in-
tercanine distance was obtained between
crown tips or when worn between the cen-
ters of resulting facets. Arch length was ob-
tained as the distance between a line tangent
to the incisors and a line tangent to the dis-
tal crown surfaces of the deciduous second
129
130 MOORREES AND REED
molars or their permanent successors, the
second premolars.
In the original study of this material, 78
maxillary and 70 mandibular dentitions
were considered to fulfil the specified re-
quirements of satisfactory tooth alignment,
as well as full complement of permanent
DECIDUOUS DENTITION
Intercanine 1I
I* distance
_
__length
PERMANENT DENTITION
Intercanine
I ,
distance
I F I when no more than one-third of its crown
FIG. 1.-Methods of measuring the intercanine
distance and arch length in the deciduous and per-
manent dentitions.
teeth, exclusive of M3. To obtain maximal
numbers of observations, especially during
the incisor transition, another 48 series of
dental casts were utilized, in spite of the
fact that these series were incomplete, be-
cause they lacked records of the canine-
premolar emergence. However, they showed,
when judged by previous findings, excellent
tooth alignment in the deciduous dentition
J. dent. Res. January-February 1965
or no more than minimal crowding during
eruption of the permanent incisors.
Dental age was assessed for each tooth
in terms of one of six stages, namely: (1)
deciduous tooth present, (2) extracted or
(3) exfoliated, (4) the permanent successor
emerging, (5) half of the crown erupted,
and (6) fully erupted.
The first three categories do not pertain
to the permanent molars, since they lacked a
deciduous predecessor. For Stage 1, presence
of a deciduous tooth, two categories were
specified in the analysis, separating the data
of children below seven years of age and
older ones. The latter were especially valu-
able to determine whether increments in
arch dimensions occur prior to the emer-
gence of permanent teeth.
The difference between each eruption
stage attained and the previous one was also
recorded for all teeth. It then became pos-
sible to discriminate in the statistical anal-
ysis between events that occurred during a
specific maturational phase, such as from
emergence to full eruption, and those oc-
curring during a longer span when successive
stages were missing, owing generally to
discontinuity in an individual series.
A tooth was considered to be emerging
was visible. This definition of emergence'
corresponded to the one used by Hurme in
in the compilation of his standards.6
Since the mature dentition was available
for comparison, a reasonable degree of relia-
bility in classifying tooth eruption was
reached. The labeling "fully erupted" im-
plied occlusal contact with the antagonists.
This stage was difficult, if not impossible, to
assess accurately, except when a relatively
long time between impressions had elapsed.
In fact, lengthening of the tooth crown until
100 per cent of its clinical height is attained,
may require as much as 5 years.7 It would
then be better to condition the labeling of
this stage as "approximating" full eruption.
The analysis of the observations was
carried out twice: first, by obtaining con-
ventional statistics for arch size at each de-
velopmental stage of each maxillary and
mandibular, right and left tooth, separately;
second, statistical data were obtained for
combinations of teeth, also separately on the
left and right side of the dental arch.
Inspection of work sheets revealed that
Vol. 44, No. I CHANGES IN ARCH SIZE SCALED ON DENTAL AGE 131
the eruption stages of permanent first mo-
lars and incisors, or canines and premolars,
often overlapped. Therefore, differentiation
had to be made among children in whom the
emergence and eruption of the central in-
cisors was largely completed before the
deciduous lateral incisors were shed, as op-
posed to the ones in whom the two perma-
nent incisors emerged within a relatively
short time. The same applied to the transi-
tion of posterior teeth.
Thus, in the second analysis, the eruption
status of two teeth formed the criterion for
grouping the data in nine categories. Stages
1, 2, and 3, all pertaining to the deciduous
predecessor, were combined, as well as
Stages 4 and 5, classifying emergence and
eruption of one-half the crown, respectively.
For the fully erupted Stage 6, a limiting
factor for the last emerging tooth of a pair
was imposed by adding the stipulation that
for this stage, either one or two of the pre-
ceding ones (4 or 5) were available in an
individual series. The actual pairing in-
volved M1 and J1; I, and 12; C and Pm1; Pm1
and Pm2; as well as C and Pm2 to cover
various eruption sequences encountered in
man. The second analysis actually served
to interpret the findings of the first one, in
order to arrive at the final tabulations of the
findings.
The mean chronologic age at each erup-
tion stage and its variance were also ob-
tained to determine whether the ages of
tooth emergence in this sample of children
disagreed markedly from those reported by
Hurme.6 Since the differences were 0.4 years
or less, preference was given to the use of
Hurme's means of tooth emergence for
graphic illustration of the findings.
The numbers of observations for Stage 1,
referring to completed deciduous dentition,
seem extraordinarily large, as shown in the
tables. Actually, the variable under con-
sideration was sampled repeatedly for each
individual, namely, on each dental cast in
an individual series that showed the pres-
ence of the deciduous incisors until the cen-
tral one was shed or until it was replaced by
its emerging permanent successor. The al-
ternative, to study the deciduous dentition
at annual intervals, had been carried out al-
ready in the original analysis of the data for
all individuals with normal occlusion,2 ex-
cept the 48 incomplete series that were
added for the present study.
Differences in sample composition, re-
sulting from the inclusion of the 48 incom-
plete series and the different methods of
grouping the data, accounted for a lack of
conformity in the mean findings of this re-
port and the previous one.2 However, the
magnitudes of these differences were rela-
tively insignificant.
Admittedly, the material was by no
means adequate for exact pinpointing of
developmental changes during various erup-
tion stages of different teeth, explaining why
chronologic age was originally preferred as a
parameter. Yet, on the trends suggested by
the earlier findings,2 it was considered justi-
fied to follow the present approach, while
the availability of computers made it pos-
sible to carry out the laborious calcula-
tions required.
The findings represent averages of those
obtained for left and right teeth of the same
class or for combinations of two teeth. More
specifically, they represent averages of left
and right means, standard deviations and
the numbers of observations for absolute
values and increments.
The data were also plotted on the basis of
tooth emergence scaled with reference to
Hurme's standard,6 because it furnished the
best estimate of the universal mean for
whites of Northwest European ancestry.
The eruption of one-half the tooth crown
(Stage 5) was recorded 4 months after the
emergence, and full eruption (Stage 6) 0.8
years after emergence, except that for the
canine, a 1.0-year span was used. These
limits were determined arbitrarily, although
approximated from the mean ages obtained
at corresponding eruption stages.
A curve was fitted by hand, independent-
ly for each jaw of each sex, after weighting
the entries representing average findings in
terms of the number of observations used in
the computations.
Comparisons were made with graphs ob-
tained previously by sampling on chrono-
logic age. Moreover, the curves fitted for
females have been superposed on those for
males to assess their similarity. This pro-
cedure was carried out by orienting the
graphs at the values pertaining to the de-
ciduous dentition and on the arrows repre-
132 MOORREES AND REED J. dent. Res. January-February 1965
senting the emergence of permanent central The rate and amount of growth in arch
incisors. breadth at the intercanine level were quite
During superposition, the axes of the similar among corresponding jaws of the
graphs for males and females were kept sexes, except perhaps for the female maxilla,
parallel. Owing to the difference in the time- where the trend was linear during the incisor
intervals between the emergence of central transition (Fig. 3). Superposing of graphs
and lateral incisors in males and females, the also revealed that the changes in the maxil-
location of the arrows signaling the appear- lary and mandibular intercanine distances
ance of lateral incisors did not correspond. conformed closely during the incisor transi-
Concordance in the emergence of the canines tion, regardless of sex.
for the sexes was obtained again by super- The mean intercanine distances deter-
posing on the appropriate arrows represent- mined with reference to dental age showed a
ing the emergence of these teeth. greater steepness of the growth curves than
those obtained with reference to chronologic
Results age (Fig. 4). Instead, the grouping of chil-
INTERCANINE DISTANCE.-The enlarge- dren with early and late eruption of central
ment of dental arch breadth as represented and lateral incisors in one category at each
by the intercanine distance was minimal chronologic age resulted in a flattened curve.
before the emergence of the permanent teeth When inspecting the charts showing both
(0.2-0.3 mm.). The main growth phase (3.0 chronologic age and dental age curves in
mm.) occurred in both jaws of both sexes detail, differences can be observed in the
during the incisor transition. This increment absolute values for the mandibular inter-
leveled off after full eruption of the lateral canine distance after the eruption of in-
incisors. In the maxilla, a second increase cisors (Fig. 4). The female mandible was 0.5
(1.5 mm.) in arch breadth was noted after mm. larger and the male mandible smaller
the emergence of the permanent canines, but in comparison to the findings on chrono-
this increase did not occur in the mandibular logic age. This difference reached a maxi-
dentition (Fig. 2). mum of 0.7 mm. in ten-year-old males, 0.8
A4. 34.
iria;xlil~l.. ma ~xi li 9
32 32

mm 30 I2 mm 30 8

28- 82
M
28

26 A
4 6 8 10
I
12
I
14
26 Al~~~m
4 6 8 10 12 14
YEARS YEARS
26 mAlitil
28
28
mnindliblc (a _ndindibic
26 _ 26-

4 t
mm 24 c mm 24 I2
'2
22
_
f1,
~M,
22 ~ tt
M,
I I ' -I A I |I
2 C0 1. 20 ' 1
4 6 8 10 12 14 4 6 8 10 12 14
YEARS YEARS

FIG. 2.-Average intercanine distances in the maxillary and mandibular dentitions of males and females,
respectively, scaled according to dental age (tooth eruption). The arrows refer to the mean ages of tooth
emergence of permanent teeth.
Vol. 44, No. 1
years prior to the appearance of the man-
dibular canine.
These seemingly discordant results are
explained by differences in sample composi-
tion. The effect of the inclusion or omission
of relatively few observations is actually
quite marked, particularly when the total
number of observations is 25 or less. It was
encountered, for instance, when comparing
CHANGES IN ARCH SIZE SCALED ON DENTAL AGE 133
the findings of the two statistical analyses
of the data, one for single teeth and the
other for combinations of two teeth.
The spread of the distribution of observa-
tions around the means for absolute values
(Tables 1 and 2), as well as for increments
between eruption stages (Tables 3 and 4),
indicates that the individual child cannot be
expected to conform to the mean curves.

maxilla d'
ko C
d00
mm C

YEARS YEARS
FIG. 3. Superposition of the average intercanine distances of males and females in the maxillary and
mandibular dentitions, respectively.

34 34
maxilla 05 maxilla
32 32
9
mm 30 I/ mm 30

28 " 1 28

26L I,
I'
it '% '-JI-L
4 6 8 10 12
YEARS YEARS
28 28
.mandible 0 mandible 9
26 26

mm 24 mm 24
m
I I
22 22 , , -. t
_ ~~M, 4I 2

. .
20 20
ILu -
V-
\,,-
4 6 8 10 12 14 4 6 8 10 12 14
YEARS YEARS

~dental agc chronologic age

FIG. 4.-Average intercanine distances obtained when sampling observations on chronologic age as com-
pared to dental age (tooth eruption) in the maxillary and mandibular dentitions of both sexes.
'34
ml...

12 .

II...

I2
Tooth

Tooth

Deciduous

M1 .

Tooth

Deciduous.

M1.
...

-- TABLE I
DISTANCE BETWEEN DECIDUOUS OR PERMANENT MAXILLARY CANINES
Eruption

|Eruption
Stage

..........

EI~

E,/
E/

IEC

TABLE 2

Eruption
Stage

!..........
EI/2

iEl/2

(Ee

{E,E
Sex

)r e

fol9
Jff9

Jff

'

Sex

f e9
Jfd'9
Jf e
~1 9
f9

~
9

Q~

9f

Jf1~9e
9

Jff
I\, 9
28.8

29. 1

30.8

131.5

31 7

32.0

32.4

33.8
I 2

22.3

22.6

23.9

24.7

25.0

25.5

25.5

25.4
Mean
(mm.)

Mean
Mean
277.7

283.2

29).1

29).9

30). 1

30).8

31 I.6

322.4

DISTANCE BETWEEN DECIDUOUS OR PERMANENT MANDIBULAR CANINES

(mm .)

22.3

22.6

23.7

24.6

24.8

25. 4

25.3

25.2
I~
Standard
Deviation
(mm.)
1.82
1.68
1.79
1.65
1.72
1.93
2.18
2.42
2.12
2.05
2.05)
2.15
1.38
1.85
1.45
1.80

Standard
Deviation
(mm.)
1.87
1.57
1.59
1.50
1.75
2.00
2.01
1.75
2.04
1.94
2.00
1.66
1.20
1.85
1.16
1.64
~~~~
Number of
Observa-
tions
374
367
47
43
62
60
44
45
43
41
39
33
13
21
12
21

Number of
Observa-
tions
292
292
13
17
51
67
42
60
46
48
42
42
19
25
11
18
 . _.
TABLE 3
INCREMENT IN DISTANCE BETWEEN DECIDUOUS
OR PERMANENT MAXILLARY CANINES

Standard Number of
Tooth Eruption Sex Mean Deviation Observa-
S tage (mm.)
(mm.) tions

Deciduous . 0.29 0.58 275

I 0.27 0.58 260
0.46 0.61 45
1~9 0.60 0.64 40
fe 1.51 0.84 57
(E1/.2
19 1.28 1.16 65
II..
1.18 44
iEc I 0.85
0.92 1.75 45

Sc9Q 0.85 0.92 43

dE, 0.80 1.36 41
I2 . .
0.35 1.00 39
0.69 1.21 33
99 0.45 1.08 13
E1/2 0.78 0.96 21
CI 9 0.93 0.82 12
EC 0.86 1.08 21

TABLE 4
INCREMENT IN DISTANCE BETWEEN DECIDUOUS
OR PERMANENT MANDIBULAR CANINES

Eruption Mean Standard Number of

Tooth Sex Deviation Observa-
Stage (mm.) (mm.) tions

Deciduous fe 0.24 0.52 197

19 0.22 0.61 188
ml ....... f e 0.45 0.68 12
El/ 2 '9 0.49 0.73 14

(E1/2 0.96 0.71 51

9 1.02 0.86 65
11 ..........
fQ 1.04 1.21 42
0.92 1.08 60
f 060 0.95 43
(E1/2 60
0.87 47
12
9E 0.600 1.00 42
(Y u.. I 1.08 42
(E,/2 fdf -0.33 1.22 19
9 -0.22 1.01 25
C..........
E, c lQ
c 0.32 1.15 11
0.16 0.80 18

135
136 MOORREES AND REED J. dent. Res. January-February 1965
The emphasis on the average male or female proximately 1.5 and 1.9 mm. in the maxilla
only served to illustrate the significance ofand 1.8 and 1.7 mm. in the mandible, for
using biologic age in a growth study. males and females, respectively.
ARCH LENGTH.-During the eruption of The graphs for arch length depicting the
the incisors, the mean decrease in the maxil-mean pattern for change were consistent for
lary arch length was approximately 1.4 the mandibles of both sexes, but the males
mm. in males and 0.9 mm. in females. The exhibited a greater increment during the
changes in mandibular arch length were incisor transition in their maxillary arch
minimal during this phase of development lengths than the females (Fig. 6).
(Fig. 5). Again, a varying amount of discordance
The decrease in arch length following the was observed in the absolute mean arch
shedding of deciduous molars averaged ap- lengths when comparing data analyzed on
e
JC

maxillae
32
maxill g
30 30

mm 28

26-

24 A ' '
M I,

'
CM2
mm 28

26

24
:~~~ 2 PM C
m

4 6 8 10 12 144 4 6 8 10 12 14
YEARS YEARS

28- 28 I~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
mandible - mandible 9
26 26 F
mm 24 mm 24
M,1 1
'CP
CPMt 2m
221- 22 _ Pm2

Mu0I,. . . I . J 201 AO t
4 6 8 10 12 14 4 6 8 10 12 14
YEARS YEARS

FIG. 5.-Average arch lengths in the maxillary and mandibular dentitions of males and females, respec-
tively, scaled according to dental age (tooth eruption). The arrows refer to the mean ages of tooth emergence
of permanent teeth.

mandible

-~ d'It '

mm mm
-
ede eM2

I I

YEARS YEARS
FIG. 6. Superposition of the average arch lengths of males and females in the maxillary and mandibular
dentitions, respectively.
Vol. 44, No. I
dental age with those on chronologic age.
The differences were 0.6 mm. or less, except
for the male maxilla and mandible at the
canine and second premolar emergence (1.0
mm.), as shown in Figure 7.
The tabulations of the findings from
which the graphs were made, as well as
those pertaining to the increments in the
lengths of the dental arches (Tables 5-8),
showed lower variances than those obtained
from chronologic age for the absolute dimen-
sions but not for the increments.
Discussion
The intervals between eruption stages
are not in agreement with the data of Giles
el al.8 principally because attainment of oc-
clusion with antagonists, as appraised vis-
ually, does not correspond with attainment
of the full crown height as measured from
the gingiva. Since the method of evaluation
may not have accounted for the last 10 to 15
per cent increase in the clinical crown height
the full eruption stage actually represents
the ninetieth, or probably better, the eighty-
fifth percentile of Giles et al.8 Emergence, on
the other hand, includes as much as one-
third eruption of a tooth and this stage,
-
maxilla Cf
30
CHANGES IN ARCH SIZE SCALED ON DENTAL AGE 137
therefore, represents the sixteenth percen-
tile in terms of averages. The length of time
(0.8 and 1.0 years) used for the appearance
of the subsequent 70 per cent crown height
agrees with the generalized reference chart
of Giles et al.,8 that sets 8-9 months for this
developmental phase. Similar conclusions
can be drawn with reference to Sato's7 data,
discounting differences in eruption rate
among teeth and the long time required for
the eruption of the last 10-15 per cent of the
tooth crowns. Thus the portrayal of de-
velopmental patterns has not been jeopard-
ized by the arbitrary assessment and under-
estimate of the final fractions of crown
height (0.30-0.14 mm.).
The changes in the intercanine distances
are explained by growth of the alveolar
processes, as has been determined on part of
the same material by Lebret.9 In addition
to growth of the alveolar process in the
incisor region, the changes in arch length in
the maturing dentition are also a function of
mesial migration of the posterior teeth.'
This tooth movement leads to closure of
interdental spaces between the deciduous
molars and canines, as well as to closure of
the space resulting from replacement of the
o5rl
maxilla 9
30p

mm 28 I rv 1 mm 28
* M1~~~~I
m aPPM. 3
26 261 .~~~~~ a

241 I 24
4
'
6 8
1 1 .
10
..
12 14 it it 'IV I

4
I
I.
6 8 10
.

12 1I
YEARS YEARS
28 28 .
mandibles mandible 9
26 26
m
mm 24 mm 2-4 -
V ;
Pm2
22 M3 22 Pm, I,+Is CfrP
I

gn I I, I I 22 - 4 6 8
4 6 8 10 12 14 4 6 8 10 12 14
YEARS YEARS
dental age -chronologic age

FIG. 7.-Average arch lengths obtained when sampling observations on chronologic age as compared to
dental age (tooth eruption) in the maxillary and mandibular dentitions of both sexes.
 TABLE 5
LENGTH OF MAXILLARY DENTAL ARCH

Standard Number of
Tooth Stage Sex
Stage (Mmen)
(mm.) Deviation
~~~~~(mm.)
Observa-
tions

Deciduous ...... f.{

M9 29.2
28.3
1.76
1.52
337
336

E l t{F9..
.12 . ....
fe
28.6
28.1
1.75
1.38
37
37
ml ........ Ei/2 XQ 2. .3 6
I
.c.
19
29.0 28.6 1.63
1.63
50
62

jEii2 foe 29.7 1.70 46

Pm,'2.. . . E t1 2 1|29{5?
28.7 1.30 48
E,* ec5f 29.9
f..
E9 28.8
1.92
1.63
34
35

PM,1.... Ei/2 fe 29.9 1.49 21

(9 28.9 1.22 27

Pm2
PM2....... E, JI9O~ ~ ~f 28.5
I27.7
1.30
1.15
22
23

C E,..... . fl?dl
e[ 28.6
27.7
1.43
1.34
12
17

TABLE 6
LENGTH OF MANDIBULAR DENTAL ARCH

Standard Number of
Eruption Mean
Tooth Stage Sex
Stage (Mmean)
(mm.) Deviation
~~~~~(mm.)
Observa-
tions

Deciduous.
Deciduous ... . .~~fci 25.8
24.9 Q 1.56
1.41
275
258

ml ......... E125.12 fea 25.2

24.4
1.65
1.38
61
59
.f d 25.2 1.69 50
11 ...... E 3 24.6 1.42 59

(Ei/2 .. Q {Q25.4
j 1.77 38
24.3 1.36 35

E, fill 25.3 1.84 38

I, 9 24.3 1.47 35

C.. ... I9 E1/2

.......... e( 25.1 24.3 1.36
1.35 11
21

Pm1
PM, E~~~~
E, ' JO~f9 24.0
23.2
1.31
1.50
12
20

Pm2PM2 E,, fe
,Fo[ 23.4 0.96 6
......
19 22.8 1.03 6

138
 TABLE 7
INCREMENT IN LENGTH OF MAXILLARY DENTAL ARCH

Standard Number of
Tooth Eruption Sex
Stage (Mmean)
(mm.) Deviation
~~~~~(mm.)
Observa-
tions

Deciduous .. .f.19 -0.13

~-0. 15 0.61
0.61 237
232
ml .........
E,12 f{ 9 - .42 -.26 0.66
0.78 35
34
..........
Qf
Ei/2E12 19 .43 .42 0.98
0. 97 46
58
f0
E12 19112 .55 0.76 40
{Q 55 .54 0.54 39
I2 .......... f
1{ .05 1.10 34

Pm ....... E1/2 1f Q9 .05 .03 0.69

0.75 2127
Pm2 ....... E f
19
- .65 .71
0.87
0.78
20
22

C . E f |919 -0.56
~~~-0.70
0.95
0.85
12
17

TABLE 8
INCREMENT IN LENGTH OF MANDIBULAR DENTAL ARCH

Standard Number of
Tooth Eruption Sex
Stage (Mmean)
(mm.) Deviation
~~~~~(mm.)
Observa-
tions

Deciduous .. .......... fa 9
-0.09 -0.13 0.52
0.50 181
159

ml El/2 foe.
1
- .43
- .41
0.83
0.62
59
55

1 Ii
.......... E11/2 f{9
~~~~~~1 .21 .17 0.75
0.80 50
56

JE,12 lfo - .46 0.77 43

I2......
19 - .26 0.78 44
E, fe ~- .31 - 0.73 35
19 .29 0.91 34
C . ... E112 fQ
19
- .73 - .21
1.07
0.53
11
21

Pm1 ........ EF { Q9 - .51

- .47
0.82
0.81
12
20

PM2 .
Pm2 E~~~~~~
E, fe
19
-0.40
-0.90
0.31
1.13
6
6

139
140 MOORREES AND REED
deciduous molars by smaller permanent
ones. This so-called "leeway space" is great-
est for the deciduous second molar, namely,
2.3 and 2.2 mm. in the maxilla or 2.3 and
2.6 mm. in the mandible of males and fe-
males, respectively.2 Only part of this lee-
way space is taken up by mesial migration
of the permanent molars, according to the
findings reported on the mean decrease in
arch length in the second stage of dental
development.
The total mean leeway space for the
canine and both premolars in the maxilla is
1.2 mm. in males and 1.5 mm. in females,
while in the mandible these findings were
reported to be 2.2 and 2.6 mm.1' The marked
differences in the relation of mesiodistal
crown diameters of successive tooth groups
among individuals (correlation coefficients
ranging from +0.29 to +0.55) also explain
one source of the variance in the changes
of arch length that can be attributed to
migration of permanent molars.
Comparison between increments on a
chronologic scale and increments between
developmental stages is open to criticism
apart from differences in the time-interval
between observations. The increments re-
cord the velocity of change when grouping
the observations on dental age. During a
calendric-age interval, some children may
progress to the next development level,
while others may stay dormant in this re-
spect, resulting in a decrease in the average
increment and its variance.
The variances of both absolute arch
measurements and their increments were
expected to be smaller as a result of more
homogeneous sample compositions. In con-
trast, they were also expected to be larger
during the incisor transition than those ob-
tained from chronologic age through the
inclusion of the additional observations from
the incomplete series. The net effect, judged
by comparison of standard deviations, may
be generalized by stating that the standard
deviations were not reduced significantly,
except for arch length, when grouping data
on dental age for the absolute dimensions,
and occasionally larger for the increments in
the two arch dimensions. The magnitude of
these differences in either direction varied.
They were confined to second decimals in
some instances but more often reached 0.2-
0.4 mm. and exceptionally as much as 0.7
J. dent. Res. January-February 1965
mm. This aspect of the study will be re-
ported in a separate report."2
The mean increments in the intercanine
distance between eruption stages correspond
generally, although not always, to the dif-
ferences between the absolute means. Some
discrepancies can be observed, especially be-
tween the eruption completed stage of the
central incisor and the emergence of the
lateral incisor. These events are closely
timed, and considerable overlap occurred
between the respective samples. Inclusion of
the data at the eruption completed stage of
the central incisor is, therefore, open to
criticism. The findings were either quite
similar to the emergence stage for the lateral
incisor, or they were actually larger, usurp-
ing on their account an increment that right-
fully belonged to a subsequent developmen-
tal event.
The material is deficient to pursue this
matter in greater detail. Collections of serial
dental casts obtained at half-yearly inter-
vals from a sufficiently large group of chil-
dren are needed to provide the precision
that this study lacks.
The present data justify the conclusion
that in terms of averages, dental age serves
as a more satisfactory parameter for study-
ing growth of the dental arches than chrono-
logic age. The findings reveal a remarkable
similarity in amount and pattern of growth
during the incisor transition, irrespective of
sex or jaw for the changes in arch breadth as
measured by the intercanine distance. The
same observation pertains to the changes in
the maxillary arch when the permanent
canine emerges. The findings for arch length
conform to those for arch breadth.
Results do not pretend to elucidate indi-
vidual patterns of dental development other
than indicating marked differences that oc-
cur among individuals as judged by the
variances in Tables 1-8. It still remains to
be established whether individuals can be
grouped in a limited number of catego-
ries according to the procedure successfully
used by Meredith and associates as applied
amongst other to late changes in arch size
(nine to fifteen years)."3
Summary
Arch dimensions were studied from serial
dental casts of 184 individuals observed be-
tween three to five and sixteen to eighteen
Vol.44, No. I CHANGES IN ARCH SIZE SCALED ON DENTAL AGE 141

years, together with additional data of 48 3. for STUART, H. C., and STAFF. Studies from the Center
Research in Child Health and Development,
individuals which included only the incisor School of Public Health, Harvard University. 1. The
transition. Center, the Group under Observation, Sources of In-
The findings serve principally to illustrate formation, and Studies in Progress, Monographs of the
Soc. for Research in Child Develop., 4:serial No. 20,
differences in mean patterns for the inter- No. 1, 1939.
canine distance and arch length on a bio- 4. tudinalSTUART, H. C., REED, R. B., and AssociATEs. Longi-
Studies of Child Health and Development.
logic age scale, as opposed to the use of Series II. Reports Based on Completed Case Studies.
chronologic age. Supplement to Pediatrics-J. Amer. Acad. Pediatrics,
For the dentition, tooth emergence and 5. Inc., 24: Part II, 875, 1959.
MOORREES, C. F. A. The Aleut Dentition-a Correla-
eruption are more suitable as parameters of tive Study of Dental Characteristics in an Eskimoid
dental development than chronologic age in People, pp. 104. Cambridge, Mass.: Harvard Univer-
sity Press, 1957.
defining the changes in arch dimensions as 6. HURME, V. 0. Standards of Variation in the Eruption
they actually occur in the average child. Ex- of the First Six Permanent Teeth, Child Develop.,
19:213-31, 1948.
cept for arch length, the variances in the 7. SATO, S. Personal communication, 1963.
GILES, N. B., KNOTT, V. B., and MEREDITH, H. V.
absolute intercanine distance as well as in 8. Increase in Intra-oral Height of Selected Permanent
the increments of both arch dimensions were Teeth during the Quadrennium Following Gingival
Emergence, Angle Orthodont., 33:195-206, 1963.
not appreciably decreased, as was expected 9. LEBRET, L. Growth Changes of the Palate, J. dent.
by the more homogeneous sample composi- Res., 41:1391-1404, 1962.
tion when grouping individuals at similar 10. . Physiologic Tooth Migration, ibid., 43:610-
18, 1964.
stages development.
of 11. MOORREES, C. F. A., and CHADHA, J. M. Crown
Diameters of Corresponding Tooth Groups in the
Deciduous and Permanent Dentition, J. dent. Res.,
References 41:466-70, 1962.
12. MOORREES, C. F. A. Normal Variation in Dental
1. TANNER, J. M. Growth at Adolescence, pp. 8-10. 2d ed. Development Determined with Reference to Tooth
Oxford: Blackwell Scientific Publications, 1962. Eruption Status. J. dent. Res. (In press.)
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Child: A Longitudinal Study of Dental Development Children with Good Occlusion Studied Longitudinally
between 3 and 18 Years of Age, pp. 41-230. Cambridge, from Age 9 Years to Late Adolescence, Am. J. Phys.
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