ArticleBMC oral health2023
Palatal asymmetry assessed by intraoral scans: effects of sex, orthodontic treatment, and twinning. A retrospective cohort study.
Article in BMC oral health, 2023. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. It is linked to trial NCT05349942 (A Digital Method for Measurement of Palatal Asymmetry in Twins), which is not on this map. Cited by 5 papers, 1 of them a synthesis that pooled it.
What it found
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The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.
The trial behind it
Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.
A Digital Method for Measurement of Palatal Asymmetry in Twins
Who cites it
5 citing papers in PubMed, 1 synthesis or guideline pooled it, 8 citations in OpenAlex.
- Splintless approach improves surgical accuracy in Le Fort I osteotomies: a systematic review and meta-analysis.Frontiers in oral health · 2026Pooled it
- Three-Dimensional Variation of the Human Hard Palate Across Populations: A Geometric Morphometrics Study.Dentistry journal · 2026Article
- A mathematical model for scientifically defining the class characteristics of the human anterior maxilla-Part 1: The dental arch.Journal of forensic sciences · 2025Article
- Human identification via digital palatal scans: a machine learning validation pilot study.BMC oral health · 2024Article
- A Systematic Review of the Use of Intraoral Scanning for Human Identification Based on Palatal Morphology.Diagnostics (Basel, Switzerland) · 2024Review
Corrections and comments
PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.
Authors and funding
7 authors at 2 institutions in 2 countries.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
backgroundSymmetry is critical in perceived attractiveness, especially in female faces. The palate determines the teeth' alignment and supports facial soft tissues. Therefore, the study aimed to assess the effects of sex, orthodontic treatment, age, and heritability on the directional, anti-, and fluctuational asymmetry in the digital palatal model.
methodsThe palate of 113 twins, 86 female and 27 male subjects, with and without previous orthodontic treatment, were scanned by the Emerald (Planmeca) intraoral scanner. Three lines were constructed horizontally in the digital model, one between the right and left first upper molars and two between the first molars and incisive papilla. Two observers calculated the left and right angles between the mid-sagittal plane and molar-papilla lines. The intraclass correlation coefficient was used to assess the inter-observer absolute agreement. The directional symmetry was determined by comparing the mean left and right angles. The antisymmetry was estimated from the distribution curve of the signed side difference. The fluctuating asymmetry was approximated from the magnitude of the absolute side difference. Finally, the genetic background was assessed by correlating the absolute side difference between monozygotic twin siblings.
resultsThe right angle (31.1 degrees) was not significantly different from the left one (31.6 degrees). The signed side difference followed a normal distribution with a mean of -0.48 degrees. The absolute side difference (2.29 degrees, p < 0.001) was significantly different from zero and negatively correlated (r=-0.46, p < 0.05) between siblings. None of the asymmetries was affected by sex, orthodontic treatment or age.
conclusionsThe palate illustrates neither directional asymmetry nor antisymmetry, indicating that most people's palates are symmetric. However, the significant fluctuating asymmetry suggests that some subject has considerable asymmetry but is not influenced by sex, orthodontic treatment, age, and genetics. The proposed digital method is a reliable and non-invasive tool that could facilitate achieving a more symmetrical structure during orthodontic and aesthetic rehabilitation.
trial registrationThe Clinicatrial.gov registration number is NCT05349942 (27/04/2022).
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Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.