Relationship of buccolingual inclination between the alveolar bone and first molar in different vertical facial types: a CBCT study

This study aimed to investigate the differences in the buccolingual inclination and transverse width of maxillary and mandibular first molars among different vertical facial types. In all, 78 samples were divided into three groups based on the GoGn-SN angle: the low-angle group (n = 26, mean age=24.21±5.11), average-angle group (n = 26, mean age=22.66±3.72), and high-angle group (n = 26, mean age=22.23±2.43). Cone beam computed tomography (CBCT) measurements were used to assess the buccolingual inclination of the axis of the maxillary and mandibular first molars, as well as the buccolingual inclination of the alveolar bone, the dental arch width, and the basal bone width. One-way ANOVA, the LSD test, and Pearson correlation analysis were performed. The high-angle group showed significantly greater lingual inclination of the maxillary alveolar bone than the low-angle group and average-angle group (p < 0.001; p < 0.05). The difference in buccolingual inclination of the axis of the maxillary first molar and the alveolar bone was significantly greater in the high-angle group than in the low-angle group (p < 0.05). Both the maxillary and mandibular dental arch were significantly narrower in the high-angle group than in the other two groups. The mandibular basal bone was also significantly narrower in the high-angle group than in the low-angle group and average-angle group (p < 0.001; p < 0.01). The alveolar bone of maxillary first molar in the high-angle group was more palatal inclined than that the low-angle group and the average-angle group, which suggests that orthodontists should pay more attention to the root-bone relationship in the high-angle group during expansion treatment to prevent bone fenestration and dehiscense.