Dental arch widths and mandibular-maxillary base widths in Class II malocclusions between early mixed and permanent dentitions

The aim of the study was to analyze the transverse morphology and development of the dental arches and skeletal mandibular-maxillary bases in untreated Class II malocclusions. Using the records of the Belfast Growth Study, a Class II division 1 group (II/1) and a Class II division 2 group (II/2) were compared with a Class I group and a control group with good occlusion. On posteroanterior cephalograms, maxillary skeletal base width and bigonial and biantegonial widths were determined at two-year intervals between seven and 15 years. Maxillary and mandibular intermolar widths were measured on the associated study casts. As a result, maxillary skeletal base widths were smallest in the Class II/1 subjects. No statistically significant differences were found among the groups for the skeletal mandibular widths. With respect to the development of the dental arches, maxillary intermolar widths were smaller in the Class II/1 group than in the Class I and the good-occlusion groups. These group differences were present for the total period of observation, ie, seven to 15 years, and statistically significant at most ages. When the relative difference between the maxillary and the mandibular intermolar widths was examined, the Class II/1 cases were found to have the largest average difference (about -2.5 mm for boys and -1.5 mm for girls), indicating a relatively narrow maxillary arch. Less pronounced molar differences were found in the Class II/2 group. In the Class II/1 subjects the deviations in molar differences observed at 15 years of age were established already at 7 years of age and maintained during 7 and 15 years of age.