Abstract
Department of Preventive Dentistry, Kyushu Dental College has been conducting physical anthropological studies of the oral cavity in various areas of Japan and a neighboring country. These studies indicated racial and regional differences in the morphology of the dental arch and palate. This study describes the dental arch and the palatal traits in Taiwanese females. Eighty-nine Taiwanese females 18 to 24 years old and 212 Japanese females (Kitakyushu), as a control, had impression taken and plaster models made. The measurements were made on the models. The date of Taiwanese females were also compared with those of Japanese females (Okinawa) and Taiwan aboriginal females (Paiwan, Rukai, Atayal and Ami tribes) obtained in other investigations. The length of the dental arch in Taiwanese females tended to be shorter than that of Japanese females (Kitakyushu and Okinawa) and Atayal females, but tended to be longer than those of Paiwan, Rukai and Ami females. The breadth of the dental arch in Taiwanese females tended to be greater than in those of Japanese females (Kitakyushu and Okinawa) and Paiwan females, but smaller than those of Rukai, Atayal and Ami females. The height of the palate tended to be smaller in Taiwanese females than those of Japanese females (Kitakyushu and Okinawa), Paiwan and Rukai females. These findings indicate that the morphology of the dental arch and palate in Taiwanese females differs from that of Japanese and Taiwan aboriginal females.
