A Study on the Dental Arch and the Palate in Tanegashima Population

Abstract

The dental arch and palatal traits in the Tanegashima population were reported. Forty-three persons over 16 years old having normal dentition and few decayed teeth, out of 133 persons who had impression taken and plaster models made, were studied. The length of the dental arch was longer in the Tanegashima population than in the Koshikijima population, but was similar in Tanegashima males and Okinawa males and in Tanegashima females and Nagashima females. The breadth of the dental arch tended to be greater in the Tanegashima population than in the nearby Koshikijima, Nagashima and Okinawa populations. The height of the palate in the Tanegashima population was different from that in the Nagashima and Okinawa population. These findings indicate that the morphology of the dental arch and palate has regional features in the Tanegashima population.