Dental arch depth and width studied

longitudinally from 12 years of age

to adulthood
William H. DeKock, B.A., D.D.S., M.S.*
r~a0). h'npias, IOU!~

T his investigation deals with changes in dental arch depth and width
for persons of each sex with good odontic occlusion. The period of ontogeny cov-
ered is from the age of 12 years to early adulthood, wit.11 emphasis on the period
after orthodontic treatment is usually completed. Specifically, changes in arch
depth and width are presented and discussed for intervals from 12 to 15, 12 to
26, 15 60 26, and 17 to 26 years of age. Several longitudinal studiesl-S have
been reported dealing with dental arch depth and width changes prior to 15
years of age, but reports dealing with material on into the third decade of
ontogeny are scanty. This type of material is of particular value to the clinical
orthodontist, who needs information on “normative material” for evaluation
of some of the postretention changes occurring in orthodontically treated cases.

Purpose

l’hc primary aims of the study are to investigate, on a strictly longitudinal

sample of sixteen malt and ten female subjects with acceptable occlusion:
1. Nean size and variability in size of dental arch depth and width
at annual intervals from age 12 to age 17 and at age 26 years.
L’. Variability of increments for each variable in the age periods
12 to 15 years, 12 to 26 years, 15 to 26 years, and 17 to 26 years.
3. Associations between changes in dental arch depth and width
in the early teens and later changes in these variables.
4. Individual differences in patterns of change for t,he age intervals
from 15 to 26 years of age and from 17 to 26 years of age.
5. Varieties of change in dental arch clepth among persons studied
from the ages of 12 to 26 years.

*Clinical Assistant Professor, Ilepartment of Orthotlontics, University of Iowa.

56
 Devitul arch depth aad width 57

Earlier studies-Arch depth

Speck1 studied arch depth utilizing enlarged photographs of dental casts

and, in a series of forty-nine persons, concluded that total arch depth occupied
by the deciduous dent,ition was greater in forty-one of the instances.
Brown and Daugaard-Jensen? analyzed twenty-four subjects longitudinally
during adolescence and early adulthood. Over intervals varying from 3 years
to 12 years, twenty-four (100 per cent) of the maxillary casts decreased in arch
depth, and twenty-three (95.8 per cent) of the mandibular casts decreased in
arch depth. The average decrease in the maxillary arch was 1.6 mm., and in the
mandibular arch it was 1.7 mm.
In a longitudinal study of sixteen boys and thirteen girls, Knott? found that
in the 3-year period from t,he ages of 12 to 15 years all twenty-nine subjects
registered a decrease in arch depth. The amount of decrease varied from “near
zero to over 3.0 mm. averaging approximately 1.5 mm. for each arch of each
sex.” Generalizing, she concluded that when depth is determined by the methods
and for children similar to those used in her study, one would rarely expect
any increase in depth around the time of eruption of the permanent premolars.
Changes in arch depth have also been studied by Bjiirk4 with respect to ob-
servations on a longitudinal sample studied by the implant method. In a discus-
sion of “mandibular rotation,” Bjiirk reported that the lower incisor teeth are
functionally related to the upper incisors, and since the interincisor angle
usually changes less than “rotation” of the mandible and “rotation” displaces
the paths of eruption of all the teeth in a mesial direction, this results in
“crowding” or “packing” of the anterior segment and a subsequent decrease in
arch depth.

Earlier studie+Arch width

Woods5 measured dental arch width from frontal and lateral roentgenograms.
He showed increases in eight of twenty-four subjects from 9 years to 15 years
of age, with the remainder showing a decrease or no change.
Brown and Daugaard-Jensen,” in a study previously discussed, found varia-
bility in the direction of change for this measurement. For the twenty-four man-
dibular casts, five showed no change, twelve showed a decrease, and seven in-
creased.
Knott3 found mean increases in width of both dental arches in boys between
the ages of 11 and 15 years. The mean values were 1.2 mm. and 0.9 mm. for the
maxillary and mandibular arches, respectively. Between the ages of 9 and 15
years, twenty-eight of the twenty-nine subjects showed some increase in both
lower and upper dental arch width.

Material

The subjects for the present study were enrolled in a longitudinal growth
study conducted at the University of Iowa between 1946 and 1960. The subjects
were healthy persons from families of above average socioeconomic status, Cau-
casoid, and primarily of northwest European ancestry.
Beginning in 1968, these subjects were contacted and asked to participate
58 DeKock

z = ARCH WIDTH

yEq* = CD 8 ARCH DEPTH

Fig. 1. Measurements used to obtain arch depth and arch width.

in an additional examination. The only criterion for participation in the addi-

tional examination was previous participation in the study and a minimum
age of 23 years. Alginate impressions were secured at each examination, and
white plaster dental casts made from these impressions were utilized for all
measurements.
The sample used in this investigation consists of sixteen male and ten fe-
male subjects. The average age of these persons at the time of the additional
examination was 26.3 years. The range was from 23.2 years to 30.1 years.
All subjects in this investigation underwent orthodontic evaluation at all
prior examinations, and the occlusion was judged suficiently acceptable that at
no time was orthodontic treatment recommended.

Measurements

Arch depth and arch width were determined by marking three points on
each dental cast, measuring three distances, am1 deriving arch depth by
formula. The landmarks are depicted in Fig. 1.
To locate the posterior landmarks, the maximum transverse diameter at
the permanent first molars was determined on each dental cast at the age of 12
years, and the point on each molar that gave this maximum was carefully marked
with a hard pencil. Since comparable landmarks at all ages were necessary, the
points marked on the cast at the age of 12 years were used as an odontic refer-
ence to mark all casts of the same arch for a given subject, marking one side at
a time.
The mark for the anterior landmark was placed at the most lingual point on
the labial surface of the reproduction of the gingival tissue midway between
the permanent central incisors. Again the mark on the cast at the age of 12
years was used as a guide to mark all other casts of the same subject in order
to reduce the possibility of slight change in placing the point at different ages.
Arch depth was computed from the three measurements by the formula for the
median of any triangle with known sides (Fig. 1).
 Dental arch depth ami width 59

Table I. Means and standard deviations (mm.) for dental arch width and depth in the
maxilla and mandible of each sex studied longitudinally*

I Maxilla

Dental arch width

12 5R.l 2.03 55 . 0 2.02 55.0 1.43 51.4 1.88
13 58.5 2.09 54.9 2.05 55.2 1.58 51.4 1.93
14 58.9 2.16 54.9 2.03 55.5 1.67 51.6 1.86
15 59.3 2.15 54.9 2.05 55.6 1.65 51.6 1.97
16 59.3 54.8 55.7 51.6
17 59.6 54.9 55.8 51.5
26 59.6 2.28 54.9 1.99 55.9 1.77 51.7 1.97
Dental arch depth
12 35.7 1.55 34.8 1.16 31.0 1.83 29.8 1.64
13 35.0 1.53 34.0 1.18 30.2 1.74 29.2 1.57
14 34.7 1.58 33.4 1.25 29.6 1.83 28.7 1.49
15 34.3 1.64 33.0 1.14 29.1 1.76 28.4 1.39
16 34.0 33.0 28.8 28.2
17 33.7 33.0 28.6 2i.9
26 32.8 2.01 31.8 1.02 27.8 2.00 27.2 1.36
“N = sixteen males, ten females except at ages 16 and 17, where means were derived t)y
method described in text.

Measurements were made by means of sliding calipers with sharpened

tips. Two investigators, working independently, measured each distance to
the nearest 0.1 mm. If the initial measurements differed by more than 0.2 mm.,
two additional measurements were obtained and either the average of the four
or, in instances of an obvious misreading of the scale, the average of the homo-
geneous three was used.
Reliability estimates using this procedure have been reported previously
by Knott” ,and by Meredith and Cox. 6 The reliability coefficient in the latter
study between two independent determinations of maximum buccal diameter
of the permanent first molars at the age of 9 years was 0.99.

Group findings for size

Table I presents means and standard deviations for dental arch depth and
width in each sex. Both statistics at annual ages from 12 years to 15 years and at
age 26 years were obtained from measurements on the dental cast of all twenty-
six subjects. Since casts were not available at ages 16 and 17 years for all twenty-
six subjects, and since the mean change from age 15 years to age 26 years for
the nineteen subjects (eleven males and eight females) on whom casts were
available at ages 16 and 17 years was no different from that for the twenty-six
subjects, estimated means at these ages were derived from mean annual changes
for nineteen subjects (eleven males and eight females).
Trends drawn to the means in Table I are depicted in Fig. 2. Considering
the tabular and graphic findings jointly, selected findings are as follows :
60 DeKock

!+-p.i~

.:-:;::I::.:-----.~~~~~-:

27 -
----------•
MANDIBULAR ARCH: FEMALES
DENTAL ARCH DEPTH
26 -

f ~/,/ MAXILLARY ARCH:MALES .

F
57

MANDIBULAR ARCH: MALES

56 .
MAXILLARY ARCH: FEMALES
55 --.---e--L--.--a ---------------- --------+

54

53

52 MANDIBULAR ARCH: FEMALES

L---C/&------.-- *-------- _____ ---v-----d
51

50 DENTAL ARCH WIDTH

F
4911 ’ ’ ’ ’ ’ ’ ’ ’ ’ ’ ’ ’ ’ I
L
I2 I3 I4 15 16 I7 18 Is 20 21 22 23 24 25 2( 5
AGE IN YEARS

Fig. 2. Trends drawn to means for twenty-six subjects studied longitudinally from age 12
to age 26.

1. There is a decrease with age throughout the period studied in

mandibular and maxillary arch depth. The means for both male and
female subjects between the ages of 12 and 26 years yield declining
trends. Although the rate of change is slight after the age of 15, means
for both arches in each sex continue to decrease to the age of 26 years.
2. The standard deviations do not indicate a difference in variability
in either sex for arch depth or arch width at any time during the period
of ontogeny studied.
3. Means for arch width differ from those for arch depth. Trends
drawn to female means for arch width reveal no significant change
in either arch at any time during the 14-year age period from 12 to
26 years. For males there is a slight, statistically significant, increase
in each arch from the age of 12 years to the age of 15 years.
Table II. Mean changes (mm.) in width and depth of the dental arches measured at the
first permanent molars for males and females*

Width, Depth
Age intervnl
( yea.rs) Ma1 es Females Malts Fema,lcs
JlnxiZTn~y nwk
12 to 15 1.16 (-0.12) - 1 .‘Li -1.76
1% to 26 1.i:i (-0.06) -2.x; -3.0 1
15 to 26 (0.27) ( 0.06 ) - I .4-J- -1.25
17 to 26 (0.10) ( 0.06) -0.9); -0.9X

Nnndihulnr trrch
12 to 15 0.5x ( 0.19 ) - 1.9:3 - 1.35
12 to 26 0.89 ( 0.31 ) -3.20 -2.60
15 to 26 (0.31) ( 0.12) -1.27 -1.25
17 to 26 (0.07) ( 0.05) -O.iB -0.i’)

*The h)-potheGs of no mean change map be rejected at the 0.01 level of confidence for
each mean change not enclosed in parentheses.

Changes in arch depth and width

Table II presents mean changes for selected intervals between the ages of
1% and 26 years. Selected findings are as follows:
1. In the mandibular arch there are approximately 10 per cent and
!I per cent decreases in arch depth for males and females, respectively,
over the period between the ages of 12 and 26 years. For males the
decrease between the ages of 12 and 15 years is 6 per cent, with the
remaining 4 per cent decline occurring between the ages of 15 and 26
years. For females, the decrease between the ages of 12 and 15 years is
4.5 per cent and the decrease from age 15 to age 26 is 4.2 per cent.
2. In each sex, mean decrease in arch depth between the ages of 17
and 26 years is near 3 per cent of arch depth at the age of 17 for the
maxillary arch and in excess of 2.5 per cent for the mandibular arch.
3. For males only, small statistically significant increases in arch
width are found in both arches for the intervals from the ages of 12 to
15 years and from 12 to 26 years. Since a statistically significant in-
crease in arch width was not found for the interval between the ages of
15 and 26 years, it is apparent that the increase in width between the
ages of 12 and 26 years is due primarily to an increase between the ages
of 12 and 15 years.
4. Considering all age intervals, at no time was there a sufficiently
large sex difference in mean changes in arch depth to allow rejection
of the null hypothesis at the 0.05 level of confidence.
Not tabled are bivariate associations of the change-change variety which
were investigated by means of the Pearson product-moment correlation co-
efficient, r. With one exception, the computed r’s were not large enough to allow
rejection of the hypothesis that the population r is zero. The relationship be-
tween (1) dental arch depth decrease from the ages of 12 to 1-I years and (2)
dental arch depth decrease from the ages of 14 to 26, for males, was found to
62 DeKock

26t --
35 -
35 -- - -
%
34 - ‘l.
‘\
33
33 -- ‘\
l.
32 - ‘\ L-4,
32 -
‘i ---_ F49
31 - ---_ ---_
31 - ----__ ---.

=t
30- I
2g e--*---•- --., ~-.-
-.---- .------- FB
-------------
28’ 12 ”
13 14 ”
15 16 ” ” ” ” ‘-I
17 I8 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26
AGE IN YEARS
Fig. 3. Individual curves in arch depth for two male and two female subiects, with
greatest and least change from age 12 to early adulthood.

bc r = -0.55. This nrgatire correlation was dependable at the 0.05 level of con-
fidence.

Difference in change among individuals

Table III presents the distribution of individual changes in dental arch

depth and width for the age periods from 15 to 26 years and from 17 to 26 years.
Since there was no sex difference in changes in these dimensions for these intrr-
vals, both sexes were combined and the distributions shown in Table III arc
compiled from the individual changes of all twenty-six subjects used in the
investigation. Selected findings are as follows :
1. In width of the mandibular arch, twenty-two of the twenty-six
subjects are clustered between an increase of 0.75 mm. and a, decrease
of 0.25 mm. Similarly, for the maxillary arch, nineteen of the twenty-
six subjects are clustered in the same 1.0 mm interval.
2. All twenty-six subjects show decreases in arch depth between
the ages of 15 and 26 years for both arches. Similarly, each of the seven-
teen persons for whom casts were available at 17 years of age showed
a decrease for the g-year period from 17 to 26 years of age in both
arches. Generalizing, arch depth, when measured by methods utilized
in this study and for persons similar to those studied in this investiga-
tion, invariably decreases after the age of 15 years and continues to
decrease after the age of 17 years.
 Dental arch. depth ad width 63

Table III. Distributions of individual changes (mm.) in dental arch width and depth at
the first permanent molar (males and females)*
Moxillavy flrch dfnntikbulas nrch
Jlidpoin t of
intcrral Width Depth Width Depth

15 years to 26 years
1.5 1 1
1.0 2 1
0.5 8 11
0 11 1 11 1
-0.5 3 3 1 1
-1.0 1 7 1 12
-1.5 7 7
-2.0 7 4
-2.5 1 1

17 yews to 26 years
0.5 7 6
0 7 7 1
-0.5 3 5 3 7
-1.0 7 1 8
-1.5 5
-2.0 1

*For age 15 to 26 years, N = 26; for age l’i to 26 years, N = Ii.

individual patterns of change

This section deals with individual change in arch depth. As an aid in

the discussion, Fig. 3 depicts the change in arch depth for two female and
two male subjects.
The persons selected were subjects in each sex who had the least and greatest
amount of decrease in arch depth over the period from age 12 years to early
adulthood.
Over a 12-year span from the ages of 12 to 24 years, M68 decreased a total of
4.5 mm. in arch depth. For males, the minimum decrease during the same span
was a 2.0 mm. decline by M61. It can also be noted from Fig. 3 that, at the age
of 12 years, the arch depth of M68 was 0.5 mm. greater than the arch depth of
M61. By early adulthood, however, this ranking was reversed and the arch
depth of M61 was 2.0 mm. greater than that of M68.
For females, the maximum decrease in arch depth was 3.8 mm. by F49.
During a similar age span from age 12 years to early adulthood, the minimum
decline in arch depth was 1.1 mm. by F8.

Clinical implications

Any implications from the findings in this study cannot be properly drawn,
or applied clinically, without a full realization of the limitations and scope of
the project. All of the subjects were judged to have satisfactory dental occlu-
sion. They were healthy Caucasoid persons, primarily from families of north-
west European ancestry and of above average socioeconomic status.
64 DeKock

Given such a sample, information about the changes in l-he dentit,ion ma!- I‘(‘-
late to changes seen in the postrctenlion orthoclont~ic I)aticnt. For example, ever>
ort’hodontist has expcrienccd t,he frustratjon OH more than one occasion of having
a patient WtlWJl to his office a few yeat’s out of’ retent,ion v,-it,h some degree ot
crowding of the mandibular incisors. Ma~rv times t,his ha ppons even in c~stractiolt
cases where the mandibular incisors ilrt’ meticulously uprightetl to a li~Jgn;il
position hopefully sufficient to obtain stability as well as maximum esthetics.
It may be possible that t,ht: tendency toward a return of crowding in the
mandibular incisor area is at least partially related to decrease in arch depth
after the age of 15 years, ant1 even after the age of 17 years. Assuming that the
orthodontist has treated the patient properly antI established a “normal occtl~~-
sion” with upright, well-aligned mandibular incisors, closed all spaces, arl(1
achieved good intcrdigitation at the age of II or 15 years, it conld be that the
patient follows a path similar to that of the subject,s in this study. This would
mean a decrease in arch depth after the age of 15 years and a subsequent ill-
crease in crowding of the mandibular incisors.
The method used for measuring a,rch depth in t,his study is not t,he same as
the commonly used clinical methods of measuring “arch length.” It is obvious,
however, that a given measure of decrease in arch depth, as defined in this
study, will result in decreases in arch length that are even greater than the
measured decrease in arch depth. If one relates the mean decrease in arch depth
from 12 to 15 years of age to tlecrease in arch length observed clinically during
this same period, it may make the measured decrease in arch depth found in
this study more meaningful from a clinical stand-point. During the early
part of this 3-year period, loss of deciduous teeth and eruption of permanent
successors are often still occurring, along with a change in relationship br-
tween the permanent first molars whereby the mandibular first molar assumes
a more mesial position relative to the maxillary first molar.
For females, arch depth decrease from 15 to 26 years of age is nearly equal
to arch depth decrease from 12 to 15 years (the latter period often including
the time during eruption of prcmolars and canines). For males, the decrease
from age 15 to 26 years is only :! per cent less than the arch depth decrease
from 12 to 15 years.
Every person in the present study showed n decrease irt arch depth from
15 to ,% years of age. The 4 per cent mean decrease in arch depth for males from
age 15 to 26 years could have considerable bearing on the course of many treated
cases. Although there is a slightly greater rate of decrease from age 15 to li
years than from age 17 years to 26 years, the decline was still present in every
subject during the span from 17 to 26 years of age.
If one is willing to a.ccept that his treated patients could be represented by
the sample in the present study, he could conclude that invariably ‘larch length”
will continue to decrease at a declining rate from the ages of 15 to 26 years.
The moderate negative association (r = -0.55) found between arch depth de-
crease from 12 to 14 years of age with arch depth decrease from 14 to 26 years
of age is of some interest clinically. Generalizing, there is a slight tendency
 Detbtal arch depth ayld width 65

for those persons whose arches decrease a large amount between the ages of 12
ant1 14 years to have less decrease in arch depth from 14 to 26 years.
Nothing has been mentioned with respect to causative factors involved in
I he reported arrh tlcpth dccarease. These fac+ors arc l~q-on~l the scope of the
~‘r1w~llt~stw1y.

Summary

This investigation was designed to study dental arch depth and arch width
in male and female subjects from the age of 12 years to adulthood. Arch depth
ant1 width measurements were taken from dental casts of twenty-six subjects
at annual intervals from 12 to 17 years of age and at an additional examination
of these subjects after they had reached the age of 23 years. The age range of
the subjects at the time of the additional examination was 23.2 years to 30.1
years. The mean age was 26.3 years.
All subjects were North American Caucasians with acceptable occlusion.
Summarily, selected findings are as follows :
1. Means for both maxillary and mandibular arch depth decrease with age
throughout the period studied in each sex, with the rate of change being less after
the age of 15 years. The mean decrease in mandibular arch depth from 12 to 26
years of age was 3.2 mm. for male subjects, or approximately a 10 per cent
decrease. For female subjects, mean decrease in arch depth was 2.6 mm., or
approximately a 9 per cent decline.
2. For female subjects, means for arch width in each arch revealed no sig-
nificant change during the 14-year span from 12 to 26 years of age. In males
there was a small statistically significant increase in arch width from 12 to 15
years of age.
3. Every person in the study showed a decrease in arch depth after the age
of 15 years. The range of decrease in the mandibular arch for the period from
15 to 26 years of age was 0.1 mm. to 2.3 mm. For the same age group, 92 per cent
of the decreases were in excess of 0.75 mm. and 46 per cent of the decreases were
in excess of 1.25 mm.
4. No evidence was found to reject the null hypothesis of no sex difference
in mean change in arch depth for any of the age intervals studied.
5. A moderate negative association (r = -0.55) was found between (a) arch
depth decrease from 12 to 14 years of age and (b) arch depth decrease from
14 to 26 years of age.
6. Individual comparisons of four subjects were presented, demonstrating
the constancy of direction but variability in amount of arch depth decrease from
age 12 to early adulthood.

The author is grateful to Dr. Virginia B. Knott for statistical assistance and to Dr.
Howard V. Meredith for critical reading of the manuscript.

REFERENCES
1. Speck, P*‘. T.: A longitudinal study of developmental changes in human lower dental
arches, Angle O&hod. 20: 215228, 1950.
66 DeKock

2. Brown, V. P., and Daugaasd-Jensen, I.: Changes ill Ilre d(*nlii ion from the ca~ly t~nl; to
the early twenties, Acta Odontol. Scand. 9: 177-192, I!)fil.
::. .Knott, V. H.: Size and form of the dental arches in (‘hil(l~t~n with good occ,lusiou stutlie~l
longitudinally .frt)m age 9 ?-ears to Iatc ;ttlole~ircll~c~, a\tti. .I. I’h>,s. Ar~thropol. 19: t’Ki-
384, 1961.
4. RjGrk, A.: Prediction of rnandilmla~ growth rotat,ion, AM. .I. ~)Kl'liOl). 55: 5%~<SW, 1969.
5. Woods, G.: Changes in width dimensions hetwveen cchf?aiu teeth and facial points clur’ing
human growth, AM. J. ORTWD. 36: 676-700, 1950.
fi. Meredith, H. V., and Cox, G. (1.: Width of the dental arches at the permatletlt first.
molars in children 9 years of age, AM. ,T. OWHOI). 40: 1%141, lR54.