The mesiodistal crown diameters of primary dentition in Indonesian Javanese children

Dentition analysis of primary teeth is necessary for recognising and correcting occlusal problems in every stage of dental development to enable normal adult occlusion. To do this, normative data of mesiodistal tooth crown diameters from the same ethnic population are needed. The aims of this study were to gather normative data of mesiodistal crown diameters of primary dentition in Indonesian Javanese children and to compare this normative data with published data of other ethnic populations. Dental casts of 160 males and 137 females with acceptable occlusion, aged 3.25-6.58 years, were taken in Yogyakarta, Indonesia. Mesiodistal diameter was measured as the distance between the anatomic contact points using calipers with accuracy to within 0.05 mm. Each measurement was taken twice on different occasions. The results indicated that the magnitude of asymmetry between right and left teeth was larger in distal teeth within a tooth field, larger in males than females, and larger in mandibular than maxillary teeth. The stability of mesiodistal tooth crown diameters was less in males than in females, and was most prominent in the mandibular central incisor. Sexual dimorphisms were found in, the lateral incisor and first molar in the maxilla, and the canine, first and second molars in the mandible. Compared with other ethnic populations, Indonesian Javanese falls between Hong Kong Chinese and Australian Aboriginal.