Aim: This study aims to assess the average freeway space
among fully dentate individuals during rest and occlusion across different
facial forms.
Background: The freeway space (FWS), or interocclusal
distance, is determined by the balance between the elevator and depressor
muscles attached to the mandible, and the “elastic” nature of the surrounding
soft tissue in natural dentition. Lower one-third of the face can have
far-reaching effects on facial aesthetics, not only on the peri-oral areas but
also on the entire face. Mandibular posture greatly depends on head posture.
Materials and Methods: Fifty subjects from each of three
facial form groups- square, taper, and oval- with a complete set of maxillary
and mandibular arch teeth, aged between 25 to 40 years, were included. Equal
numbers of males and females were represented in all groups. Vertical height at
rest and occlusion was recorded using standardized procedures and freeway space
(FWS) was measured
Results: Statistical analysis of the collected data revealed
mean and median values for each facial form: square (3, 2.32), taper (2.62, 2),
and ovoid (2.68, 2), respectively. No significant differences were observed
between these readings (P < 0.05). However, 9% of the individuals exhibited
the FWS range of 5–6 mm with measurements ranging from 1 and 7 mm,
respectively. Notably, the majority (56%) of the square facial form subjects
displayed an FWS range of 3–4 mm.
Conclusion: This study provides insights into the average
inter-arch space across various facial forms, indicating a measurement
typically exceeding 3–4 mm. The future prospective of this study is that
evaluating the FWS in edentulous patients with an increased number of subjects
would definitely increase the clarity.
Author(s) Details
Anupama Aradya
Department of Prosthodontics, JSS Dental College and
Hospital (A Constituent College of JSS Academy of Higher Education and
Research), Mysore, India.
Ramesh Chowdhary
Department of Prosthodontics, Sri Siddhartha Dental College
and Hospital, Bengaluru, Karnataka, India.
Ravi M B
Department of Prosthodontics, JSS Dental College and
Hospital (A Constituent College of JSS Academy of Higher Education and
Research), Mysore, India.
Sree Shyla H S
Department of Oral Pathology and Microbiology, JSS Dental
College and Hospital (A Constituent College of JSS Academy of Higher Education and
Research), Mysore, India.
Koduru Sravani
Department of Periodontics, Dayanand Sagar College of Dental
Sciences, Bengaluru, Karnataka, India.
Narahari Ranganatha
Department of oral and Maxillofacial Surgery, Raja Rajeswari
Dental college and Hospital, Bengaluru, Karnataka, India.
Please see the link:- https://doi.org/10.9734/bpi/mria/v8/12591F
