EVALUATION OF THE NEED TO DISTINGUISH BETWEEN WHITE AND BLACK PATIENTS IN PREDICTING THE COMBINED MESIODISTAL CROWN WIDTH OF CANINES AND PREMOLARS

The aim of the present study was to evaluate the need to distinguish between white and black patients when predicting the combined mesiodistal crown width of canines and premolars in Recife. A sample of 120 dental casts (60 from black and 60 from white patients) was selected from the archives of dental clinics in Recife. The mesiodistal crown width of the maxillary and mandibular canines and premolars and of the mandibular incisors was measured in these casts using a caliper with an accuracy of 0.02mm. The combined mesiodistal crown width of these teeth in the black patients was compared with that found in the white patients, and also with the estimated values obtained by regression equations based on the sample of white patients and on a large sample of a population from the same city. The study demonstrated that there were no significant differences between whites and blacks in the combined mesiodistal crown width of any of the three analyzed teeth groups and also revealed that such equations were statistically accurate in estimating the mesiodistal crown width of canines and premolars in blacks. It was concluded that there is no need for specific tables or equations regarding the patient's race in the analysis of mixed dentition in Recife.