Relationship between the mandibular curve of Spee and the maxillary compensating curve with dentoskeletal morphology : A cross-sectional study in Chinese young adults with normal occlusion.

Purpose: The purpose of this cross-sectional study was to use multiple regression analysis to evaluate the relationship between the mandibular curve of Spee (COS) and the maxillary compensating curve with dentoskeletal morphology in young Chinese adults with normal occlusion.

Methods: This study comprised 62 young adults (31 males, mean age: 24.1 ± 2.2 years; 31 females, mean age: 23.3 ± 3.3 years) with Angle class I normal occlusion. For every subject, intraoral scan models of the maxillary and mandibular arches and lateral cephalograms were acquired. The depth of the COS and compensating curve were assessed on the intraoral scan models. Multiple dental arch dimensional and cephalometric variables were screened by univariate analysis. Subsequently, a multiple linear regression model (forward stepwise selection) was constructed to determine which variables were significantly correlated with the two curve depths.

Results: In the mandible, the COS depth was deepest at the mesiobuccal cusp of the first molar. Overjet, mandibular arch width and mandibular-occlusal plane angle significantly correlated with the COS depth (P < 0.05), accounting for 33.1% of the variation in the mandibular COS. In the maxilla, the deepest point of the compensating curve was at the distobuccal cusp of the first molar. Mandibular arch perimeter and overbite significantly correlated with the maxillary compensating curve (P < 0.05), explaining 23.3% of the variation.

Conclusions: Overjet, overbite, mandibular-occlusal plane angle, mandibular arch width and perimeter should be considered when reconstructing occlusal curves in clinical orthodontic treatment and in prosthetic restoration.