A longitudinal study of dental arches and occlusal changes in adults from 22 to 33, and 33 to 43 years of age

The purpose of the present study was to conduct a longitudinal examination of changes in width, depth, anterior space, overjet, and overbite in the dental arch in men and women from 22 (T1) to 43 (T3) years of age and to explore any differences between the age periods 22–33 (T1–T2) and 33–43 (T2–T3) years as well as gender differences at T1 and changes within the two periods. The research material consisted of models of 32 men and 33 women. The parameters were measured with an electronic caliper. Repeated measurements of 20 pairs of randomly selected models were taken to check the reliability of our results. A significant decrease in intercuspid width, arch depth, and anterior space was observed in both arches of both genders. The changes were generally greater during the first observation period, and there were no significant gender difference. At T1 the men’s arches were larger than those of the women.