Author(s): Karunakar Shetty, Mahesh Kumar, Keerti Palagiri, Susan Amanna, Shreya Shetty
Introduction: The maxillary central incisor in particular holds the key in creating a highly esthetic frontal profile and therefore appropriate selection of the tooth is of utmost importance in the restoration of the anterior segment of teeth in completely or partially edentulous patients. Although a number of studies have suggested various reference guides towards estimation of the width of central incisor, there have been no suitable guides to ascertain the length of the incisor in the absence of pre-extraction records.
Purpose of the study: The present study attempted to arrive at a correct proportion for determining as far as possible the correct length of the maxillary central incisor with the help of facial measurements in the absence of pre-extraction records in a small proportion of the subcontinent Indian population.
Materials and methods: The distance from the bridge of the nose to the base was compared to the length (actual and calculated by regression) of the maxillary central incisor in 400 patients of both sexes between the age groups of 20-35 years.
Results: The length of the maxillary central incisor by calculated measurement ratios of facial measurements and regression equation showed variations between 0.2 to 0.4 mm in males and females respectively which was statistically significant (p<0.01). Conclusion: The distance from the bridge of the nose to base of the nose may be used as a reference to estimate the length of the central incisor in the subcontinent Indian population, although regression equation may be more accurate.
