Comparative Analysis of the Differences in Dentofacial Morphology According to the Tongue and Lip Pressure.

Yoo-Sun Lee,Seok-Ki Jung,Il-Hyung Yang,Jiho Ryu,Seung-Hak Baek,Tae-Woo Kim,Won Hee Lim

doi:10.3390/diagnostics11030503

Abstract

The aim of this study was to evaluate the effects of the tongue and lip pressure on dentofacial morphology. The subjects comprised 194 patients with malocclusion. Anterior and posterior tongue elevation and lip pressures were evaluated using the Iowa Oral Performance Instrument (IOPI) device. The lateral cephalograms of each subject were traced and digitized to perform the analysis. Statistical analysis was used to investigate the relationship between perioral muscle force and the cephalometric variables. Anterior and posterior tongue pressure was both higher in males than in females. No sex difference in lip pressure was observed. The group with a low posterior tongue pressure showed a short ramus height, short posterior facial height, and clockwise-rotated mandible. On the other hand, lip pressure had a significant influence on maxillary incisor angulation. Skeletal pattern was not found to be significantly related with lip pressure. The anterior tongue pressure appeared as a mixed pattern of the two results. Tongue pressure was related to skeletal measurements, such as short posterior facial height, and lip pressure was related to the angulation of the anterior teeth. This study suggests that there may be differences in dentofacial morphology according to the differences in perioral muscle force.

Highlights

The balance between the tongue and perioral muscle is known to affect the position of the teeth, and it plays a significant role in the formation and maintenance of the dental arch form [1,2,3,4]
Anterior and posterior tongue pressures were both higher in males females (p < 0.05)
Posterior tongue pressures were both higher in males

Summary

Introduction

The balance between the tongue and perioral muscle is known to affect the position of the teeth, and it plays a significant role in the formation and maintenance of the dental arch form [1,2,3,4]. Due to the fact that the teeth are positioned between the lips, cheeks, and tongue, the force from this muscle is the major factor that determines the tooth position. The contribution of the strength of the lips, cheeks and tongue is important to orthodontists for proper treatment planning and achieving posttreatment stability [8]. Proffit stated that the resting position of the tongue is among the key factors in the maintenance of the dental equilibrium [11]. It has been shown that the tongue posture is lower in skeletal class III patients than in class I patients [3]

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