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. 2022 Aug;8(4):923-930.
doi: 10.1002/cre2.577. Epub 2022 Apr 30.

Mandibular antegonial notch depth in postpubertal individuals: A longitudinal cohort study

Christian Schütz  1 , Balazs J Denes  1 , Stavros Kiliaridis  1   2 , Gregory S Antonarakis  1
Affiliations

Mandibular antegonial notch depth in postpubertal individuals: A longitudinal cohort study

Christian Schütz et al. Clin Exp Dent Res. 2022 Aug.

Abstract

Objectives: To perform an epidemiological analysis of the antegonial notch depth in postpubertal individuals and to analyze the development of deep antegonial notches longitudinally in growing individuals. MATERIAL AND METHODS: Lateral cephalograms of 302 untreated 17/18-year-old subjects (171 males; 131 females), from the craniofacial growth legacy collection, were analysed to measure antegonial notch depth along the mandibular plane. Sex and sagittal malocclusion were investigated as possible factors influencing notch depth. In subjects with deep antegonial notches (>1.5 standard deviation) at the age of 17/18 years, earlier lateral cephalograms at 7/8 and 13/14 years were obtained, and the magnitude of notch depth analyzed longitudinally. Linear regression analyses were used to assess correlations between antegonial notch depth and other recorded variables.

Results: Antegonial notch depth ranged from 0 to 5.3 mm (mean 2.0 ± 1.0 mm). Antegonial notches were significantly deeper in males (2.3 ± 1.1 mm) than females (1.5 ± 0.7 mm) (p < .001). Notch depth was on average 0.3 mm deeper in Class I than in Class II or III individuals (p = .019). Twenty-one subjects (all male) were judged to have deep antegonial notches at the age of 17/18. In these subjects, notch depth deepened from 13/14 to 17/18 years (p < .001), whereas no change was observed between 7/8 and 13/14 years.

Conclusions: Antegonial notch depth shows important variation in postpubertal individuals, with males having deeper notches than females on average. In those with deep antegonial notches (all males in the present sample), notch depth increases not during prepubertal growth but during the pubertal growth spurt.

Keywords: antegonial notch; growth; lateral cephalograms; mandible.

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Conflict of interest statement

The authors declare no conflicts of interest.

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
Cephalometric landmarks used were: A, A‐point; B, B‐point; Gonial angle, defined as the angle between a line going through articulare tangent to the posterior border of the ascending ramus, and ML; ML, mandibular line (defined as a line tangent to the lower border of the mandible); N, nasion; Notch, the deepest point of the concavity of the antegonial notch; PL, palatal line (defined as a line going through the anterior and posterior nasal spine).
Figure 2
Figure 2
Morphology of the antegonial notch. (a) Type 1: deepest point of the notch located on the posterior aspect of the concavity. (b) Type 2: deepest point of the notch located in the middle of the concavity. (c) Type 3: deepest point of the notch located on the anterior aspect of the concavity.
Figure 3
Figure 3
Variation in antegonial notch depth for females and males. The y‐axis represents the number of individuals and the x‐axis the antegonial notch depth (in mm).
Figure 4
Figure 4
Examples of different antegonial notch depths: (a) shallow, (b) average, and (c) deep.
Figure 5
Figure 5
Antegonial notch depth in males and females according to Angle Class for the 302 postadolescent subjects. Error bars represent 95% confidence intervals. F, female; M, male; ns, not significant.
Figure 6
Figure 6
Box and whisker plots showing the magnitude of deep antegonial notches, with notch depths shown at the ages of 7/8, 13/14, and 17/18 years. ns, not significant.
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