Abstract
The purpose of this study was to explain the growth and development changes of oral morphology in infants.
Nineteen infants were included in this study. In addition to dental growth measurements, records were obtained of birth weight, birth history. One infant was breast fed and eighteen infants were bottle fed. The materials were the serial dental casts (with at least 4 months of follow up) obtained from 8 males and 11 females during the first one year of life at one month intervals.
Growth changes were studied by three-dimentional measurement of the casts.
The following conclusions emerged:
1) All alveolar lengths in the maxillary and madibular showed a tendency to increase. Especially the anterior portion of the mandibular increased very much from the 1st month to the 4th month, but exhibited little change thereafter. The posterior portion of maxillary and mandibular increased from the 7th month to the 12th month.
2) All alveolar width in maxillary and mandibular increased more markedly from the 1st month to the 6th month than from the 7th month to the 12th month. In the posterior portion, growth changes continued from the first month to the 12th month. But the palatal width increased very little during the 1st month to the 12th month.
3) Palatal hight increased only slightly during the 1st month to the 12th month.
4) Segittal morphlogy palate showed S-line's shape.
5) The para alveolar wall was clear from the 1st month to the 2nd month, but it gradualy became unclear thereafter.
