THE FORMS OF THE DENTAL ARCH AND THE CONDITION OF THE OCCLUSION OF FORMOSAN LEPERS (FOOKEN DESCENDANTS)

Abstract

In studying the form of the dental arch and condition of the occlusion in cases of lepers, the authors have taken impressions on gypsous dental moulds from mouth cavities of 101 Formosan lepers (Fooken descendants), and compared them with those of healthy ones of the same natives. The result of the observation can be summarized as follows:
A. The form of the dental arch
The form of the dental arch in Formosan lepers (Fooken descendants):-the round V-shaped dental arch (34.16%) and round square dental arch (27.34%) are seen larger in number and are followed by V-shaped dental arch (16.34%), round dental arch (13.86%) and square dental arch (8.42%).
(a). Seeing these from the types of the disease, the round dental arch slightly predominates in neural type of leprosy over that of macular type, though in other forms the proportion is similar in both types.
(b). From the sex, it appears the V-shaped dental arch shows somewhat a higher percentagc in the female sex, while the round dental arch a higher percentage in male patients, though in other forms the proportion is almost of the same in both sexes.
(c). Comparing the author's result with that of healthy ones (Ohashi and Matsumura in Formosans), a slightly higher percentage of the round dental arch is detected in lepers, but in other form the percentage nearly coincide, so that there is generally no particular difference between the healthy ones and lepers.
B. The condition of the occlusion.
The condition of the occlusion of Formosan lepers (Fooken descendants):-psalidodontia (41.56%) and stegodontia (36.63%) are preveiling and labidodontia (11.86%), opisthodontia (8.91%), hiatodontia (0.99%), and progemia (-) follow in accordance.
(a). From the types of the disease, the psalidodontia are of the largest in number, then stegodontia and labidodontia follow in the macular type of leprosy. While in the neural type stegodontia are of the prime in proportion, psalidodontia next and then labidodontia follows. Form these facts, there can be seen a slight difference between these two types of leprosy.
(b). From the viewpoint of the sex, psalidodontia, stegodontia and labidodontia are taken in oiler in the male, while in the female psalidodontia, stegodontia, opisthodontia. The fast that the opisthodontia is found in the female sex only, differs from the finding in the male sex of lepers and healthy persons.
(c). Comparing these results with those obtained from healthy ones (Ohashi and Matsumura in Formosans, Maruyama in Formosans), it would be interesting that the normal condition of occlusion as psalidodontia is somewhat lower in percentage, while the abnormal condition of occlusion such as stegodontia and opistodontia is seen somewhat in a higher percentage in lepers.