Relationship between the occlusal vertical dimension and anthropometric measurements of the fingers

• Published in: Journal of oral research Vol. 8; no. 4; pp. 282 - 289
• Main Authors: Yuri Castro-Rodríguez, Kamila Sihuay-Torres
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Universidad de Concepción 01.08.2019
• Subjects: anthropometry; dental occlusion; malocclusion; mandible; maxilla; vertical dimension
• ISSN: 0719-2460; 0719-2479
• DOI: 10.17126/joralres.2019.042

The alteration of the vertical dimension can deteriorate the facial harmony, and it can be measured through objective and subjective methods, although many of which are not reliable. Objective: Relate the anthropometric fingers length with the measurement of the vertical occlusal dimension (VOD). Material and Methods: Cross-sectional, observational study that included 114 students from the School of Dentistry with class I malocclusion and complete dentition. The VOD was evaluated as the measurement between the subnasal points and the mental point; anthropometric measures included the length of the fingers (from the most mesial fold to the most distal edge) and the distance projected between the thumb and the index finger. Results: The average VOD was 64.03±5.15mm. A correlation was found between the VOD and the index finger length (p<0.01, r=0.29), between the VOD and middle finger length (p<0.01, r=0.31) and correlation between the VOD and the length of the little finger (p<0.05, r=0.23). No correlation was found between the VOD and the ring finger lengths (p= 0.051) or thumb (p=0.12). Conclusions: The anthropometric measurements of the index finger, middle finger, little finger and the projection of the thumb on the index finger correlated with the length of the vertical occlusal dimension.