ABSTRACT
OBJECTIVE: The purpose of this study was to determine the changes of mandibular anterior alveolar bone thickness with age. METHODS: Cephalometric radiographs of 160 skeletal class I patients (male 80, female 80) with normal vertical growth pattern was investigated by measuring the buccolingual thickness of mandibular alveolar bone on the basis of root axis. RESULTS: As the age increases, both male and female showed a significant decrease in buccolingual width of the mandibular anterior alveolar bone and in the width of mandibular anterior lingual alveolar bone except the CEJ area of females. However, there was no significant difference in the thickness of mandibular anterior buccal alveolar bone and in the width of maximum prominence of mandibular symphysis with age. CONCLUSION: From the above results, it is concluded that Korean children whose growth pattern is sagittally skeletal class I with a vertical normal growth pattern have a greater mandibular anterior lingual alveolar bone width than Korean adults; therefore, lingual movement of mandibular incisors, which is usually accompanied in extraction treatment, is considered to be more preferable in younger patients.