Micro-architecture of the human postnatal maxilla in relation to tooth development and eruption

Abstract

The growth, modeling and remodeling of the maxilla are shaped by the biomechanical forces exerted on it. As functional demands of the masticatory system become more complex due to dental development and eruption, the intensity and complexity of the biomechanical forces increases and as such influences the associated bony micro-architecture. The knowledge gained from assessing the impact of these changes on the micro-architecture of the maxilla is important in the clinical and forensic contexts. Thus, this study aimed to assess changes in the micro- architecture of the alveolar region of postnatal and sub-adult human maxilla in relation to dental development and eruption. The study sample included seventy-nine individuals, subdivided into three groups according to dental development stages: deciduous dentition (n = 28; 0-5 years), mixed dentition (n = 9; 6-12 years), and permanent dentition (n = 42; 13-18 years). Maxillae were scanned using micro-computed tomography. Seven regions were selected along the buccal, lingual, and the apical surfaces of each dental crypt for evaluation of micro-architecture, which included bone volume fraction (BV/TV), trabecular thickness (TbTh), trabecular spacing (TbSp), material surface to material volume (BS/BV), and trabecular number (TbN). The micro-architecture of the maxilla changed from a more porous to a less porous nature, following patterns of bone remodeling during growth. These changes included an increase in BV/TV while BS/BV and TbN both significantly decreased. Thus, the trabeculae became more mineralized and decreased in number as they thickened. No significant differences were observed in TbTh and TbSp between the dentition groups. The observed micro-architecture reflects changes in the state of the dentition as well as adjustments to the complex functional environment of the oral cavity complex