Applicability of moyers' probability table in the population of the northeast of Brazil

Resumo

This study aimed to evaluate the applicability and reliability of Moyers' probability tables in a sample population of youngsters in the Northeast of Brazil. A total of 200 plaster casts of the mandibular arch were evaluated, whom 99 were men and 101 females, aged 15-19 years. For this purpose a digital pachymeter was used to measure the mesiodistal widths of the tooth crowns. The values of the mesiodistal diameters obtained were submitted to statistical analysis by simple linear regression. Only the canine/premolar segment presented significant difference (p<.001) between the mesiodistal diameters of the individuals of the male and female genders, and the male gender presented broader teeth. The regression equations for the mandibular arch for men, Y= 13.42 + 0.37(X) and women, Y= 8.79 + 0.55(X), demonstrated that Moyers' tables with 75 percentage levels, tended to underestimate the real sum of the mandibular permanent canine and premolar of individuals of the male and female gender, however, without statistical difference (p>.05). It could be concluded that there was sexual dimorphism in the size of the teeth for the canine/premolar segment, with men presenting broader teeth. Moyers' probability tables were shown to be reliable for application in white individuals in the Northeast of Brazil.