Evaluation of the Correlation between the Vertical Dimension of Occlusion and the Length of the Ear, Nose, and Little Finger: An Anthropometric Study

Abstract

ABSTRACT Introduction: The aim of this study was to find out the anthro- pometric correlation of vertical dimension of occlusion (VDO) with the length of ear, nose, and little finger in dentate male and female subjects in Karad population, so as to use this correlation to determine VDO in edentulous patients. Materials and methods: The study was conducted in Krishna Institute of Medical Sciences Deemed University, Karad, India, on 320 dentate subjects (160 males and 160 females) who fulfilled the inclusion criteria. Anthropometric measurements of VDO, length of ear, length of nose, and length of little finger were recorded using a digital vernier caliper. Simple linear regression model was used to develop a prediction formula for VDO using length of ear, nose, and little finger as the independent variable. Correlation between VDO and length of ear, nose, and little finger was studied using Pearson’s correlation test Results: Statistical analysis in male and female subjects showed that VDO is significantly different with the length of nose, ear, and little finger. Pearson correlation test showed VDO in males has strong coefficient correlation with the length of the ear (r = 0.500), and strong coefficient correlation with the length of the nose (r = 0.335) in females. Conclusion: The regression analysis was conducted to formu- late the regression equation for determination of VDO in male and female subjects. The study revealed that the length of ear in males [VDO = 25.591 + 0.565 (length of ear)] and the length of nose in females [VDO = 36.933 + 0.353 (length of nose)] are strongly correlated with VDO. Clinical significance: The regression formulae were formulated for male and female subjects in dentate patients which can be used to determine the VDO in edentulous patients. Keywords: Anthropometry, Ear length, Little finger length, Nose length, Vertical dimension of occlusion