Size of Dental Arches in a Tribe of Central Australian Aborigines

¹ Department of Dental Science, University of Adelaide, South Australia

The size of the dental arches of a group of Central Australian aborigines was investigated by analyzing measurements of dental-arch breadth and dental-arch depth obtained from dental casts of 102 male and 102 female adolescent and adult subjects. The findings were compared with data previously reported for Australian aborigines, Swedes, and Aleuts.

Mean values of the dental-arch-breadth measurements did not differ to any great extent from those obtained in previous investigations of Australian aborigines, but they were significantly greater than those reported for Swedes.

Mean values of the dental-arch-breadth and dental-arch-depth measurements of the Australian adult males exceeded the measurements reported for male and female Aleuts combined. The arch dimensions of Australian adult females also exceeded those of Aleuts except in the case of mandibular arch breadth.

Both in breadth and depth the dental-arch dimensions of the Australian adolescent males were significantly greater than those of adolescent females. Adults also showed a significant sex difference in dental-arch breadth but no significant difference in arch depth.

There was no significant difference in maxillary dental-arch breadth between the adolescent and adult groups. Maxillary dental-arch depth, however, was significantly smaller in adults than in adolescents.

Mandibular dental-arch breadth was greater in adults than adolescents, but the mandibular arch depth was smaller. The age differences were statistically significant for males but not for females.