The relationship of the alveolar arch form to the other part of the upper face was analyzed with special reference to masticatory function using the facial measurements projected to the frontal and sagittal planes and factor scores of alveolar arch. The factor analysis designed for selecting facial measurements extracted the five factors reflecting 1) the overall size, 2) the upper facial breadth, 3) maxillary prognathism, 4) depth in the orbital region and 5) positioning of the upper face to the cranial base, which suggested use of 11 measurements. Since the correlations between the facial measurements and alveolar arch factor scores were rather low, canonical correlation analysis was employed to examine the association between them. Statistical significance was detected only for the first canonical component corresponding to the contrast between U-shaped and parabolic arches. Thiscontrast differs from that found for the divergence among hominoids, since the current U-shaped arch is associated with the reduction in size and pro-trusion at orbital section of the upper face. This component could not be interpreted biomechanically.