Yemeni palatal morphology

Abstract

Introduction: The palate has also been of interest in orthodontic literature because palatal dimensions often need to be altered during orthodontic or orthognathic surgical treatment. Aim: This present study was conducted to assess the palatal dimensions of a Yemeni adults sample aged (18-26) years. Study and Design: Cross-sectional comparative study. Materials and Methods: The investigation involved clinical examination of (1285) subjects of whom only (287) were selected (141 females, 146 males) to fulfill the criteria for the study sample. Study models were constructed and evaluated to measure palatal width and length using the modified sliding caliper gauge and a Paltometer to measure the palatal depth. Statistical Analysis: Data were analyzed by using SPSS version 13. Descriptive analyses were conducted to determine the mean, standard deviation (SD) and coefficient of variation (CV) of the study variables. Independent sample t-test was applied to test the level of significance between the mean for female and male for all palatal dimensions. Results: The mean (SD) of palatal width and depth in male was 41.7 (2.8) and 21.2 (1.5) while in female was 39.1 (2.3) and 20.7 (1.4) respectively. On other hand, the length of the palate seems to be larger in female 30.4 (2.04), when compared with that of male 29.01 (2.01), and these differences are considered statistically significant at P < 0.05 significant level. Conclusion: Based on study results, the palatal morphology of Yemeni population is averaged in size and confirms the accepted view that male have greater palatal size than female only in the transverse and vertical dimensions.