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The assessment of resting tongue posture in different sagittal skeletal patterns

ABSTRACT

Introduction:

Resting tongue posture affects the surrounding structures and, theoretically, may result in altered arch form and jaw relationship.

Objective:

The objective of the present study was to investigate the association between resting tongue posture as observed in lateral cephalometric radiograph, sagittal jaw relationship and arch form.

Methods:

The study was conducted on pretreatment lateral cephalograms and dental casts of 90 subjects. Subjects were equally divided into three groups, based on sagittal jaw relationship (Class I, II and III). Tongue posture was determined in terms of tongue-to-palate distances at six different points (distances 1 to 6) using ViewPro-X software, according to the method described by Graber et al in 1997. The arch widths (intercanine and intermolar widths) were evaluated on pretreatment dental casts.

Results:

Tongue-to-palate distances were found to be comparable among different study groups. Significant differences were found in intercanine and intermolar widths at the cuspal and gingival levels among the study groups, except for intercanine width at cuspal level in maxilla and intermolar width at cuspal level in mandible. Moderate positive correlation was found between arch widths ratios at distances 3 and 4 in skeletal Class III group. Effect size was found to be moderate to large in different sagittal skeletal patterns and arch widths.

Conclusion:

The results of the current study showed no significant differences in the resting tongue posture among the groups, and moderate to weak correlation between tongue posture and dental arch widths.

Keywords:
Tongue; Jaw relationship; Dental arch

RESUMO

Introdução:

a postura da língua em repouso pode afetar as estruturas adjacentes e resultar em mudanças no formato das arcadas e na relação maxilomandibular.

Objetivo:

o presente estudo teve como objetivo avaliar a associação entre a postura da língua em repouso (observada em radiografias cefalométricas laterais), o padrão esquelético e o formato da arcada.

Métodos:

a amostra incluiu radiografias cefalométricas laterais e modelos de estudos iniciais de 90 pacientes, os quais foram divididos em três grupos, conforme a relação esquelética: Classe I, Classe II e Classe III. A postura da língua foi avaliada com o software ViewPro-X, de acordo com o método descrito por Graber et al. em 1997, medindo-se a distância entre o palato e a língua em seis pontos diferentes (distâncias 1 a 6). A largura das arcadas (distâncias intercaninos e intermolares) foi medida nos modelos de gesso iniciais.

Resultados:

as distâncias aferidas foram semelhantes entre os grupos. Diferenças significativas entre os grupos foram encontradas para as distâncias intercaninos e intermolares, nos níveis das cúspides e da gengiva, com exceção da distância intercaninos superiores ao nível das cúspides e distância intermolares inferiores ao nível das cúspides. No grupo Classe III, foi observada uma correlação positiva moderada entre as proporções das larguras das arcadas nas distâncias 3 e 4. O tamanho do efeito apresentou-se de moderado a alto nos diferentes padrões esqueléticos e larguras das arcadas.

Conclusão:

os resultados do presente estudo mostraram ausência de diferenças significativas na postura da língua em repouso entre os diferentes grupos, e uma correlação moderada a fraca entre a postura da língua e o formato das arcadas.

Palavras-chave:
Língua; Relação óssea; Formato da arcada

INTRODUCTION

The biological principles peculiar to the orthodontic practice have been fundamentally limited to the hard tissue structures, i.e., teeth and bone. A review of the orthodontic literature reveals that our perception of the soft tissue forces and equilibrium of oral musculature has remained relatively undeveloped.11 Carlson DS. Theories of craniofacial growth in the postgenomic era. Semin Orthod. 2005;11(4):172-83. In most of the cases, the dental correction of malocclusion is focused towards camouflage treatment. The treatment is usually followed by retention of the achieved outcome, to allow establishment of new neuromuscular equilibrium in orthodontically established occlusion.22 Proffit WR, Fields HW, Sarver DM. Contemporary orthodontics. 5th ed. St. Louis: Mosby; 2013. Unfortunately this is not always the case and abnormal muscle forces may result in relapse.33 Yamaguchi H, Sueishi K. Malocclusion associated with abnormal posture. Bull Tokyo Dent Coll. 2003 May;44(2):43-54. Hence, using an objective method for the evaluation of neuromuscular behavior may help in establishing stable occlusion.33 Yamaguchi H, Sueishi K. Malocclusion associated with abnormal posture. Bull Tokyo Dent Coll. 2003 May;44(2):43-54.

The concept of equilibrium of the labio-lingual muscular forces has been recognized by many orthodontists.22 Proffit WR, Fields HW, Sarver DM. Contemporary orthodontics. 5th ed. St. Louis: Mosby; 2013.

3 Yamaguchi H, Sueishi K. Malocclusion associated with abnormal posture. Bull Tokyo Dent Coll. 2003 May;44(2):43-54.
-44 Baker RE. The tongue and dental function. Am J Orthod. 1954;40:927-9. They became aware of the role of muscles in maintaining the stability of the arch shape and position of teeth. Winders55 Winders RV. Forces exerted on the dentition by the perioral and lingual musculature during swallowing. Angle Orthod. 1958;28:226-35. reported that the tongue exerts more pressure on the dentition than the buccal muscles. Similar results were later reported by Kydd and Neff66 Kydd WL, Neff CW. Frequency of deglutition of tongue thrusters compared to a sample population of normal swallowers. J Dent Res. 1964 May-June;43:363-9. and Kydd et al.77 Kydd WL, Akamine JS, Mendel RA, Kraus BS. Tongue and lip forces exerted during deglutition in subjects with and without an anterior open bite. J Dent Res. 1963 May-June;42:858-66. According to them, the magnitude of muscular forces exerted by tongue during rest and function is higher as compared to lips and cheeks.88 Ruan WH, Chen MD, Gu ZY, Lu Y, Su JM, Guò Q. Muscular forces exerted on the normal deciduous dentition. Angle Orthod. 2005 Sept;75(5):785-90.

9 Weinstein S, Haack DC, Morris LY, Snyder BB, Attaway HE. On an equilibrium theory of tooth position. Angle Orthod. 1963;33(1):1-26.
-1010 Proffit WR. Equilibrium theory revisited: factors influencing position of the teeth. Angle Orthod. 1978 July;48(3):175-86. Hence, it is inferred that tongue plays a vital role in the establishment of alveolar arch form and in positioning teeth over the basal bone. The effect of tongue size on mandibular arch perimeter has been reported by a few studies.88 Ruan WH, Chen MD, Gu ZY, Lu Y, Su JM, Guò Q. Muscular forces exerted on the normal deciduous dentition. Angle Orthod. 2005 Sept;75(5):785-90.

9 Weinstein S, Haack DC, Morris LY, Snyder BB, Attaway HE. On an equilibrium theory of tooth position. Angle Orthod. 1963;33(1):1-26.
-1010 Proffit WR. Equilibrium theory revisited: factors influencing position of the teeth. Angle Orthod. 1978 July;48(3):175-86. Moreover, the resting tongue posture was found to be associated with sagittal jaw relationship.1111 Primozic J, Farcnik F, Perinetti G, Richmond S, Ovsenik M. The association of tongue posture with the dentoalveolar maxillary and mandibular morphology in Class III malocclusion: a controlled study. Eur J Orthod. 2013 June;35(3):388-93. Lowered tongue posture was reported in skeletal Class III as compared to Class I patients.1111 Primozic J, Farcnik F, Perinetti G, Richmond S, Ovsenik M. The association of tongue posture with the dentoalveolar maxillary and mandibular morphology in Class III malocclusion: a controlled study. Eur J Orthod. 2013 June;35(3):388-93.

Maxillary and mandibular growth is influenced by genetic and environmental factors that affect the receptiveness and response of cells to the stimuli.22 Proffit WR, Fields HW, Sarver DM. Contemporary orthodontics. 5th ed. St. Louis: Mosby; 2013. Brodie1212 Brodie AG. Consideration of musculature in diagnosis, treatment, and retention. Am J Orthod. 1952;38(11):823-35. believed that the alveolar bone is labile and the teeth take their position around the borders of tongue. The soft tissue forces play important role during maxillary-mandibular growth, and may influence the establishment of jaw relationship; however, the degree of its influence on the final form is still a matter of debate.88 Ruan WH, Chen MD, Gu ZY, Lu Y, Su JM, Guò Q. Muscular forces exerted on the normal deciduous dentition. Angle Orthod. 2005 Sept;75(5):785-90.,99 Weinstein S, Haack DC, Morris LY, Snyder BB, Attaway HE. On an equilibrium theory of tooth position. Angle Orthod. 1963;33(1):1-26. Sagittal jaw relationship is established during adolescence period.1313 Solow B, Houston WJ. Mandibular rotations: concepts and terminology. Eur J Orthod. 1988 Aug;10(3):177-9. Early preventive and interceptive treatment facilitates growth in favorable direction, but relapse may occur due to the expression of original growth pattern and abnormal muscle forces if the underlying cause remains untreated.10 Therefore, treatment of underlying neuromuscular imbalance can help provide stability to the achieved corrections.1212 Brodie AG. Consideration of musculature in diagnosis, treatment, and retention. Am J Orthod. 1952;38(11):823-35.,1414 Graber TM, Rakosi T, Petrovic AG. Dentofacial orthopedics with functional appliances. St. Louis: Mosby; 1997.

Abnormalities in either function or position of tongue can lead to changes in the surrounding dento-alveolar structures.88 Ruan WH, Chen MD, Gu ZY, Lu Y, Su JM, Guò Q. Muscular forces exerted on the normal deciduous dentition. Angle Orthod. 2005 Sept;75(5):785-90.

9 Weinstein S, Haack DC, Morris LY, Snyder BB, Attaway HE. On an equilibrium theory of tooth position. Angle Orthod. 1963;33(1):1-26.

10 Proffit WR. Equilibrium theory revisited: factors influencing position of the teeth. Angle Orthod. 1978 July;48(3):175-86.
-1111 Primozic J, Farcnik F, Perinetti G, Richmond S, Ovsenik M. The association of tongue posture with the dentoalveolar maxillary and mandibular morphology in Class III malocclusion: a controlled study. Eur J Orthod. 2013 June;35(3):388-93. Thus, considering the etiological factor before starting the orthodontic treatment may enhance the efficacy and long-term stability of treatment. A survey of pertinent literature showed that this topic encompasses conflicting reports that the variations in tongue features can influence the surrounding dentoalveolar form.1515 Tomes CS. The bearing of the development of the jaws on irregularities. Dent Cosmos. 1873;15:292-6.

16 Posen AL. The application of quantitative perioral assessment to orthodontic case analysis and treatment planning. Angle Orthod. 1976 Apr;46(2):118-43.
-1717 Mitchell JI, Williamson FH. A comparison of maximum perioral muscle forces in north American blacks and whites. Angle Orthod. 1978 Apr;48(2):126-31. Therefore, the aim of present study was to assess the tongue posture in different sagittal skeletal patterns. The secondary objective was to compare the arch widths, at intercanine and intermolar levels of maxilla and mandible, among various sagittal skeletal patterns.

MATERIAL AND METHODS

A cross-sectional study was performed on pretreatment lateral cephalograms and dental casts of patients attended at a dental clinic in 2017. A total of 250 records were evaluated and subjects matching the inclusion criteria were selected using purposive sampling technique. Ethical exemption was taken from the ethical review committee of The Aga Khan University (reference number 4640-17) prior to the data collection. Sample size was calculated in NCSS PASS (Kaysville, UT, USA) software, using the effect size (ES) assumed to be 1.00, as reported by Primozic et al,1111 Primozic J, Farcnik F, Perinetti G, Richmond S, Ovsenik M. The association of tongue posture with the dentoalveolar maxillary and mandibular morphology in Class III malocclusion: a controlled study. Eur J Orthod. 2013 June;35(3):388-93. which showed that a total sample of 75 subjects was required to achieve 90% power to detect statistically significant differences with the alpha set as 0.05. To ensure the validity of comparison among the groups, the sample size was increased to 90 subjects. Subjects were equally divided into the following three study groups, based on sagittal jaw relationship:

  • » Class I: ANB angle 0° to 4°

  • » Class II: ANB angle > 4°

  • » Class III: ANB angle < 0°.

Equal male and female subjects were included in each group. Subjects were recruited from Pakistani population, with age range of 18 - 25 years, having good quality standardized pretreatment dental casts and lateral cephalograms with good visibility of tongue and full set of permanent dentition until second molar, with normodivergent growth pattern. Whereas, subjects with history of previous orthodontic or orthopedic treatment, presence of any craniofacial and dental anomaly, habits such as tongue thrust, thumb sucking and mouth breathing, syndromes or history of trauma and surgery involving tongue and oral musculature were excluded.

The subjects were evaluated for tongue posture and morphological characteristics of dental arches using pretreatment lateral cephalogram and dental casts, respectively.

Evaluation of tongue posture

Pretreatment lateral cephalograms of all subjects were obtained using Orthoralix R9200 (Gendex-KaVo, Milan, Italy) at 165-cm film to tube distance. The subjects’ head were stabilized using rigid head fixation, with the Frankfurt horizontal plane oriented parallel to the floor. To obtain records in resting tongue position, the participants were instructed to swallow and then relax.1111 Primozic J, Farcnik F, Perinetti G, Richmond S, Ovsenik M. The association of tongue posture with the dentoalveolar maxillary and mandibular morphology in Class III malocclusion: a controlled study. Eur J Orthod. 2013 June;35(3):388-93. Furthermore, the patients were explained about the centric occlusion and lips resting position.1111 Primozic J, Farcnik F, Perinetti G, Richmond S, Ovsenik M. The association of tongue posture with the dentoalveolar maxillary and mandibular morphology in Class III malocclusion: a controlled study. Eur J Orthod. 2013 June;35(3):388-93. Tongue posture was determined using the method described by Graber et al,1414 Graber TM, Rakosi T, Petrovic AG. Dentofacial orthopedics with functional appliances. St. Louis: Mosby; 1997. using ViewPro-X (Rogan-Delft, Veenendaal, Netherlands) software. A template was drawn on the lateral cephalogram with its horizontal line extending through the incisal edge of lower central incisor and the cervical distal third of lower second molar extending posteriorly. Taking cervical area as centre, angles were drawn at 30o, 60o, 90o, 120o and 150o. The contours of the dorsum of tongue and the palate were traced, and six distances (D1 - D6) were recorded at 0o, 30o, 60o, 90o, 120o and 150o between tongue and palate contours (Fig 1).1111 Primozic J, Farcnik F, Perinetti G, Richmond S, Ovsenik M. The association of tongue posture with the dentoalveolar maxillary and mandibular morphology in Class III malocclusion: a controlled study. Eur J Orthod. 2013 June;35(3):388-93.

Figure 1
Assessment of tongue-to-palate distances on lateral cephalogram.

Evaluation of dental casts

Pretreatment dental casts were used to determine intercanine and intermolar widths at the cuspal and gingival levels using the digital vernier caliper (0-150mm ME00183, Dentaurum, Pforzheim, Germany) with an accuracy of 0.02 mm and a reliability of 0.01 mm according to the manufacturer’s specification. Intercanine width (IC) was measured at cusp tips and at gingival margin lingually at deepest concavity for maxillary and mandibular arches. Similarly, intermolar width (IM) at cuspal level was measured at mesiobuccal cusp tip and at lingual gingival margin at lingual grooves, as shown in Figure 2.

Figure 2
Measurement of morphological characteristics of dental arches.

Statistical analysis

Data were analyzed using SPSS software for Windows (version 20.0, SPSS Inc. Chicago). Shapiro-Wilk test was used to check the normality of the measurements, which showed a non-normal distribution; hence, nonparametric tests were applied. Mann-Whitney U test was applied to compare the study parameters between genders, and showed nonsignificant differences; therefore, to conserve the power of study, data were not split on gender basis. Kruskal-Wallis test was used to assess the differences in tongue posture and arch widths (intercanine and intermolar widths) among the groups. The average values were calculated for intercanine and intermolar widths at cuspal and gingival level. The ratio scores were calculated as:

  • » IC ratio = mandibular intercanine width / maxillary intercanine width.

  • » IM ratio = mandibular intermolar width / maxillary intermolar width.

These ratio scores were correlated with six tongue-to-palate distances (D1 - D6) for each group, using Spearman’s correlation. To determine the magnitude of variance caused by resting tongue posture on skeletal pattern and dental arch widths, the effect size (ES) was calculated. A p-value of ≤ 0.05 was considered as statistically significant.

RESULTS

The mean age of sample was 21.26 ± 3.9 years. The comparison of mean tongue-to-palate distances among the study groups showed statistically nonsignificant differences (Table 1). Significant differences were found for arch widths at cuspal and gingival levels among the three groups, except at maxillary intercanine width at cuspal level and mandibular intermolar width at cuspal level (Table 2). Pairwise comparison of morphological characteristics among skeletal patterns is shown in Table 3. The correlation between arch width ratios and skeletal classes is shown in Table 4. Moderate positive correlation was found at D3 and D4 in skeletal Class III group. Magnitude of alteration in skeletal pattern and arch width ratios caused by resting tongue posture varied from moderate to large (Figs 3, 4 and 5). To estimate measurement error, 30 lateral cephalograms and dental cast were re-evaluated by the main investigator. The assessment of reliability of tongue-to-palate distances showed excellent agreement between the two sets of readings (r = 0.9 - 0.98) (Table 5). Similarly, casts were analyzed to estimate measurement error, and results showed excellent agreement between the two evaluations (r = 0.86 - 0.98) (Table 6).

Table 1
Comparison of tongue-to-palate distances among skeletal patterns
Table 2
Comparison of morphological characteristics among skeletal patterns.
Table 3
Pairwise comparison of morphological characteristics among skeletal patterns.
Table 4
Association of tongue posture and morphological characteristics.

Figure 3
Effect size of tongue-to-palate distances at the six measurement points between skeletal classes. D = distance, small: ≤ 0.2, Medium: 0.5 - 0.7, Large: ≥ 0.8.

Figure 4
Effect size of tongue-to-palate distances at six measurement points and intercanine width ratios in different skeletal classes: D = distance, Small: ≤ 0.2, Medium: 0.5 - 0.7, Large: ≥ 0.8.

Figure 5
Effect size of tongue-to-palate distances at six measurement points and intermolar width ratios in different skeletal classes: D = distance, Small: ≤ 0.2, Medium: 0.5 - 0.7, Large: ≥ 0.8.

Table 5
Assessment of the reliability of measurements.
Table 6
Assessment of the reliability of measurements.

DISCUSSION

Light forces exerted by perioral muscles are considered to be more important than the intermittent forces during oral function (speech, swallowing and mastication).1818 Proffit WR, Fields HW Jr, Sarver DM. A etiologia dos problemas ortodônticos. In: Ortodontia contemporânea. 4a ed. Rio de Janeiro: Elsevier; 2007. p. 121-53. The forces exerted by tongue play an important role in the guidance of tooth eruption, dental arch form and stability.88 Ruan WH, Chen MD, Gu ZY, Lu Y, Su JM, Guò Q. Muscular forces exerted on the normal deciduous dentition. Angle Orthod. 2005 Sept;75(5):785-90.

9 Weinstein S, Haack DC, Morris LY, Snyder BB, Attaway HE. On an equilibrium theory of tooth position. Angle Orthod. 1963;33(1):1-26.
-1010 Proffit WR. Equilibrium theory revisited: factors influencing position of the teeth. Angle Orthod. 1978 July;48(3):175-86. The objective of present study was to assess the resting tongue posture in various sagittal skeletal patterns. The resting tongue posture of skeletal Class II patients was found to be higher as compared to Class I and III subjects. Meanwhile, lowered tongue posture was observed in posterior most area in skeletal Class III subjects. Comparable results were reported by Primozic et al,1111 Primozic J, Farcnik F, Perinetti G, Richmond S, Ovsenik M. The association of tongue posture with the dentoalveolar maxillary and mandibular morphology in Class III malocclusion: a controlled study. Eur J Orthod. 2013 June;35(3):388-93. who conducted a case-control study between Class I and III individuals, and found lowered tongue posture in Class III individuals. Similar results were reported by Guay et al1919 Guay AH, Maxwell DL, Beecher R. A radiographic study of tongue posture at rest and during the phonation of /s/ in Class III malocclusion. Angle Orthod. 1978 Jan;48(1):10-22..

The transverse characteristics of dental arches were observed as intercanine and intermolar widths at cuspal and gingival levels. The mean values were found to be higher in skeletal Class III group, as compared to Class I and II groups. Previous study reported higher mean intermolar widths in maxilla and mandible, and intercanine width in mandibular arch in Class III, as compared to Class I subjects.1111 Primozic J, Farcnik F, Perinetti G, Richmond S, Ovsenik M. The association of tongue posture with the dentoalveolar maxillary and mandibular morphology in Class III malocclusion: a controlled study. Eur J Orthod. 2013 June;35(3):388-93. Increased arch widths were found in maxillary arch in Class III individuals. The possible reason of increased maxillary intercanine width could be to compensate the outgrowing mandible, to camouflage the true transverse skeletal discrepancy. Significant differences were found in intercanine and intermolar widths among the groups, except at intercanine width at cuspal level in maxilla and intermolar width at cuspal level in mandible. The plausible cause of nonsignificant differences in these areas may be the dental compensations to camouflage the skeletal malocclusion.2020 Spalj S, Mestrovic S, Lapter Varga M, Slaj M. Skeletal components of Class III malocclusions and compensation mechanisms. J Oral Rehabil. 2008 Aug;35(8):629-37.,2121 Busato MC, Mendonca MR, Pereira AL, Tondelli PM, Cuoghi OA. Compensatory canine angulation in angle Class II and III patients. Braz Oral Res. 2009;23(3):281-7.

The position of teeth on dental arch is affected by surrounding pressure from lips, cheeks and tongue.1515 Tomes CS. The bearing of the development of the jaws on irregularities. Dent Cosmos. 1873;15:292-6.

16 Posen AL. The application of quantitative perioral assessment to orthodontic case analysis and treatment planning. Angle Orthod. 1976 Apr;46(2):118-43.
-1717 Mitchell JI, Williamson FH. A comparison of maximum perioral muscle forces in north American blacks and whites. Angle Orthod. 1978 Apr;48(2):126-31.,2222 Görgülü S, Sağdiç D, Akin E, Karaçay S, Bulakbasi N. Tongue movements in patients with skeletal Class III malocclusions evaluated with real-time balanced turbo field echo cine magnetic resonance imaging. Am J Orthod Dentofacial Orthop. 2011 May;139(5):e405-14. Therefore, the altered position of tongue may cause imbalance in the forces, which may result in alteration in the dental arch form. Tongue posture was found to be very weak or weakly correlated to dental arch width in skeletal Class I and II. Moderate correlation was found at D3 and D4 in skeletal Class III subjects at intercanine and intermolar width ratios, respectively. Previous studies reported associations between the transverse characteristics of dental arches and tongue size2323 Bandy HE, Hunter WS. Tongue volume and the mandibular dentition. Am J Orthod. 1969 Aug;56(2):134-42.

24 Vig PS, Cohen AM. The size of the tongue and the intermaxillary space. Angle Orthod. 1974 Jan;44(1):25-8.

25 Tamari K, Shimizu K, Ichinose M, Nakata S, Takahama Y. Relationship between tongue volume and lower dental arch sizes. Am J Orthod Dentofacial Orthop. 1991 Nov;100(5):453-8.
-2626 Yoo E, Murakami S, Takada K, Fuchihata H, Sakuda M. Tongue volume in human female adults with mandibular prognathism. J Dent Res. 1996 Dec;75(12):1957-62. and posture.1919 Guay AH, Maxwell DL, Beecher R. A radiographic study of tongue posture at rest and during the phonation of /s/ in Class III malocclusion. Angle Orthod. 1978 Jan;48(1):10-22.,2727 Subtelny JD. Malocclusions, orthodontic corrections and orofacial muscle adaptation. Angle Orthod. 1970 July;40(3):170-201. The results were in concordance with the study conducted by Primozic et al.1111 Primozic J, Farcnik F, Perinetti G, Richmond S, Ovsenik M. The association of tongue posture with the dentoalveolar maxillary and mandibular morphology in Class III malocclusion: a controlled study. Eur J Orthod. 2013 June;35(3):388-93. These results may be the outcome of dentoalveolar compensation, which supported the idea that the postnatal development of the dental arch form is not significantly altered by variations in the resting tongue posture.2828 Scott J. The role of the soft tissues in determining normal and abnormal dental occlusion. Dent Pract Dent Rec. 1961;11:302-8.

Despite conflicting reports, it is generally assumed that the alveolar bone responds to external influences.29-31 In this regard, effect size - which is a quantitative measure of the magnitude of variance - may provide useful information regarding the assessment of tongue posture on various skeletal patterns. The results revealed that the posterior part of tongue was 4% (D1) and 16% (D2), middle portion showed 6% (D3) and 15% (D4), whereas anterior part of tongue displayed large variations in different sagittal skeletal patterns (D5 = 32%, D6 = 30%). According to these results D5 and D6 could provide reliable information about the possible discrepancies in the sagittal skeletal pattern. Another study conducted on Class I and III subjects reported large variation at D2, D3, D4 and D6.1111 Primozic J, Farcnik F, Perinetti G, Richmond S, Ovsenik M. The association of tongue posture with the dentoalveolar maxillary and mandibular morphology in Class III malocclusion: a controlled study. Eur J Orthod. 2013 June;35(3):388-93.

Similarly, effect size was obtained for tongue posture and dental arch widths in skeletal classes. The results revealed that moderate changes may occur in intercanine width ratio in skeletal Class I and II at D1; whereas, the other distances displayed large effect of tongue posture on intercanine width ratios in skeletal classes. Moreover, large effect of tongue posture was found at intermolar width ratios in all study groups. Although weak correlation was found between tongue posture and dental arch widths, the effect size indicated that altered tongue posture may result in variations in dental arch form.

Results of the present study suggested that although the tongue posture was not found to be significantly different in various skeletal patterns, moderate to large variation may occur in sagittal skeletal relationship with varying tongue posture. Therefore, as a clinical inference, monitoring tongue posture during interceptive and comprehensive orthodontic treatment may help in providing long term stability to the achieved results.

The limitation of present study was the use of two-dimensional imaging technique for the evaluation of tongue posture. Furthermore, muscle forces and volume of tongue are important factors that may affect the skeletal pattern and arch form, and were not taken into account in this study. With contemporary technological advancement, use of 3D CBCT and MRI may provide more information in this regard. Moreover, a cross-sectional study design may not establish a cause and effect relationship, and longitudinal studies may be required to allow more conclusive evidence. Therefore, caution should be taken in regard to the findings of the present study.

CONCLUSIONS

  1. Mean tongue-to-palate distances were found to be higher in skeletal Class III and lower in Class II subjects, compared to Class I group. However, no significant differences in tongue posture were found among the groups.

  2. Mean intercanine and intermolar widths were greater in Class III subjects, as compared to Class I and II. Significant differences were found in maxillary and mandibular intercanine and intermolar widths at cuspal and gingival levels, except at maxillary intercanine and mandibular intermolar widths at cuspal level.

  3. In all subjects, tongue posture was found to have moderate to weak correlation with the dental arch widths.

REFERENCES

  • 1
    Carlson DS. Theories of craniofacial growth in the postgenomic era. Semin Orthod. 2005;11(4):172-83.
  • 2
    Proffit WR, Fields HW, Sarver DM. Contemporary orthodontics. 5th ed. St. Louis: Mosby; 2013.
  • 3
    Yamaguchi H, Sueishi K. Malocclusion associated with abnormal posture. Bull Tokyo Dent Coll. 2003 May;44(2):43-54.
  • 4
    Baker RE. The tongue and dental function. Am J Orthod. 1954;40:927-9.
  • 5
    Winders RV. Forces exerted on the dentition by the perioral and lingual musculature during swallowing. Angle Orthod. 1958;28:226-35.
  • 6
    Kydd WL, Neff CW. Frequency of deglutition of tongue thrusters compared to a sample population of normal swallowers. J Dent Res. 1964 May-June;43:363-9.
  • 7
    Kydd WL, Akamine JS, Mendel RA, Kraus BS. Tongue and lip forces exerted during deglutition in subjects with and without an anterior open bite. J Dent Res. 1963 May-June;42:858-66.
  • 8
    Ruan WH, Chen MD, Gu ZY, Lu Y, Su JM, Guò Q. Muscular forces exerted on the normal deciduous dentition. Angle Orthod. 2005 Sept;75(5):785-90.
  • 9
    Weinstein S, Haack DC, Morris LY, Snyder BB, Attaway HE. On an equilibrium theory of tooth position. Angle Orthod. 1963;33(1):1-26.
  • 10
    Proffit WR. Equilibrium theory revisited: factors influencing position of the teeth. Angle Orthod. 1978 July;48(3):175-86.
  • 11
    Primozic J, Farcnik F, Perinetti G, Richmond S, Ovsenik M. The association of tongue posture with the dentoalveolar maxillary and mandibular morphology in Class III malocclusion: a controlled study. Eur J Orthod. 2013 June;35(3):388-93.
  • 12
    Brodie AG. Consideration of musculature in diagnosis, treatment, and retention. Am J Orthod. 1952;38(11):823-35.
  • 13
    Solow B, Houston WJ. Mandibular rotations: concepts and terminology. Eur J Orthod. 1988 Aug;10(3):177-9.
  • 14
    Graber TM, Rakosi T, Petrovic AG. Dentofacial orthopedics with functional appliances. St. Louis: Mosby; 1997.
  • 15
    Tomes CS. The bearing of the development of the jaws on irregularities. Dent Cosmos. 1873;15:292-6.
  • 16
    Posen AL. The application of quantitative perioral assessment to orthodontic case analysis and treatment planning. Angle Orthod. 1976 Apr;46(2):118-43.
  • 17
    Mitchell JI, Williamson FH. A comparison of maximum perioral muscle forces in north American blacks and whites. Angle Orthod. 1978 Apr;48(2):126-31.
  • 18
    Proffit WR, Fields HW Jr, Sarver DM. A etiologia dos problemas ortodônticos. In: Ortodontia contemporânea. 4a ed. Rio de Janeiro: Elsevier; 2007. p. 121-53.
  • 19
    Guay AH, Maxwell DL, Beecher R. A radiographic study of tongue posture at rest and during the phonation of /s/ in Class III malocclusion. Angle Orthod. 1978 Jan;48(1):10-22.
  • 20
    Spalj S, Mestrovic S, Lapter Varga M, Slaj M. Skeletal components of Class III malocclusions and compensation mechanisms. J Oral Rehabil. 2008 Aug;35(8):629-37.
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    The authors report no commercial, proprietary or financial interest in the products or companies described in this article.

Publication Dates

  • Publication in this collection
    01 Aug 2019
  • Date of issue
    May-Jun 2019

History

  • Received
    25 Oct 2017
  • Accepted
    27 June 2018
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