Relationship between Maxillary Arch Shape and Maxillary Labial Bone Dimensions: A Pilot Study

OBJECTIVE: To determine whether there is any relationship between the thickness of the labial alveolar bone wall in the anterior portion of the maxilla and arch shape.MATERIALS AND METHODS: Thirty patients (age, 12–53 years) were selected from archived cone beam computed tomography (CBCT) cases. All maxillary front teeth were present in all the cases. The distance between the cementoenamel junction (CEJ) and the facial bone crest and the thickness of the labial alveolar bone wall at distances of 1, 3, and 5 mm apical to the facial bone crest were measured.RESULTS: The distance between the CEJ and the facial bone crest ranged from 2.24 mm and 3.08 mm. No significant differences were found between the thickness of the bone wall at 1, 3, and 5 mm apical to the crest. A significant difference was found between the U-shaped arch on one side and the V-shaped and square-shaped arches on the other side. The U-shaped arch and labial bone wall thickness were correlated at the 1-mm distance (F = (8, 276) = 3.24, p = 0.002). U-shaped and V-shaped arches were common in women, whereas square-shaped arches were common in men (χ 2 = 105.5, p = 0.000).CONCLUSION: Our study is the first to associate arch shape and labial alveolar bone wall thickness.CLINICAL RELEVANCE: The association between the U-shaped arch and bone wall thickness may constitute a new indicator for the tendency of the labial alveolar bone to resorb after extraction and placement of endo-osseous implants.