Reliability and application of Pont's index in a Nigerian population

Abstract

To determine the reliability and applicability of Pont index in Nigerian subjects. Methods: One hundred and thirty-two subjects with normal occlusion (well aligned arches) and who had not previously received any form of orthodontic treatment were recruited from the dental diagnosis clinic and general out-patient clinic of the University College Hospital, Ibadan. Ethical approval was sought and gotten from the University of Ibadan/ University College Hospital, Ibadan Ethics Committee. All selected subjects had their maxillary impression made in alginate impression material and was poured immediately in dental stone. Digital calipers was used in measuring the maxillary incisal teeth sizes and arch width and all the data were entered into a spread sheet and analyzed with SPSS version 19 computer software. T h e level of confidence was set at p < 0.05. Results: The mean age was 22.24 ± 1.74 years and the sample comprise of 66 males and 66 females. Mean maxillary inter - premolar and inter - molar arch widths were 41.87 ± 2.70mm and 51.47 ± 2.69mm respectively. Comparison of measured and predicted (Pont) arch widths revealed a statistically significant differences of 2.32 ± 3.20mm (p = 0.000) and 2.03 ± 3.83mm (p = 0.000) for inter premolar and inter-molar arch widths respectively for the entire studied population Conclusion: Pont's index underestimated the maxillary inter premolar and inter-molar arch width in our study. Clinical applicability of Pont index in our environment is questionable