Quantitative Analysis of the Shovel-Shaped Character in the Incisors

Abstract

A new measuring instrument was designed and the degree of the shovel-shaped character in the upper central incisor was measured in terms of the largest depth of the lingual fossa from a chord between the mesial and distal marginal ridges. This method allows continuous representation of the shovel-shaping which has so far been treated as a discrete trait. In this article, some basic problems related to this method were discussed and merits of quantitative analyses of the shovel-shaped incisors were emphasized.