Decoding Gender Differences in Dental Arch Morphology: Insights from Euclidean Distance Matrix Analysis – A Pilot Study

Document Type

Article

Publication Title

Journal of Indian Academy of Oral Medicine and Radiology

Abstract

Background: Various factors influence variations in the human dental arch size and shape, and they differ across populations and genders. Euclidean Distance Matrix Analysis (EDMA) is a common method for analyzing differences by measuring distances between anatomical landmarks. Objective: Thus, we aimed to assess if EDMA distinguishes dental arch forms and dimensions between males and females aged 18–30 from Dakshina Kannada, South India, with the morphological assessment to calculate distances between landmarks. Methods: Dental casts of 55 individuals were analyzed. Thirteen landmarks were digitized, and Euclidean distances were computed using ImageJ, TpsUtil, and TpsDig2. Statistical analysis included t-tests for sex differences and discriminant function analysis for classification. Results: In the mandibular arch, inter-landmark distances LM 1–13, LM 2–11, LM 2–12, and LM 2–13 were significantly larger in males than in females (P < 0.05). Likewise, in the maxillary arch, males had significantly higher values for LM 6–7, LM 2–11, and LM 2–12 (P < 0.05). These observations imply that males tend to have a wider arch shape, while females have a comparatively more elongated arch shape in both maxillary and mandibular parts, with chosen landmarks. Conclusion: EDMA identified sex-based differences in dental arch form and size, which stamps value as a tool for anthropological and dental research to explore human diversity.

First Page

369

Last Page

375

DOI

10.4103/jiaomr.jiaomr_346_24

Publication Date

7-1-2025

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