Vertical Cephalic Index, Dental Arch and Palatal Depth Measurement: A Study in Bataknese Children

ABSTRACT

Objective: To evaluate the cephalic indices among Bataknese school students. Material and Methods: An observational study was performed by measuring 95 Bataknese children aged 3-5 years using a purposive sampling technique. The vertical cephalic index was measured directly in children, while the dental arch and palatal depth were measured on maxillary impressions. Vertical cephalic index data were obtained by measuring the height and length of the child's head directly. Measurement was performed three times by three different people. Cephalic height was measured by a digital calipers by placing each edge of the calipers on the nasion and gnathion. Descriptive statistics were used to calculate the mean and standard deviation. Results: The analysis of height and cephalic length showed that the highest values were 9.28 cm and 18.13 cm, while the lowest were 7.43 cm and 13.43 cm, respectively. The means for Maxillary canine arch width and Maxillary molar arch width were 30.66 mm and 46.69 mm, respectively. For the Maxillary canine arch depth, the mean was 12.0 mm, while for the Maxillary molar arch depth was 28.65 mm. The palatal depth was 14.33. Conclusion: The majority of Bataknese children have a dolichocephalic head shape with a tapered maxillary dental arch and a narrow one.