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There has long been interest in the inheritance of malocclusion, but few studies have distinguished between skeletal (craniometric) variables and occlusal, tooth-based variables (e.g., anterior irregularity, rotations, displacements). This study was based on serial assessments of untreated persons in 30 sibships from 4 years (full deciduous dentition) to 20 years of age (full permanent dentition) in the Bolton-Brush Growth Studies of Ohio. Results define a clear dichotomy: craniometric variables (k = 29) typically show significant additive components of variance; correlations increase from age 4 to age 20; and correlations average 0.43 at adulthood. Tooth-based variables of position and relationship (k = 21) reach significance only occasionally; correlations decrease with age to the extent that few variables for subjects at age 20 have a correlation significantly different from zero. In contrast to craniometric variables, which have high heritabilities, almost all of the occlusal variability is acquired rather than inherited.
E F Harris, and
M G Johnson
January 1982,
Archives of oral biology,
E F Harris, and
M G Johnson
August 1993,
American journal of orthodontics and dentofacial orthopedics : official publication of the American Association of Orthodontists, its constituent societies, and the American Board of Orthodontics,
E F Harris, and
M G Johnson
September 2018,
BMC genetics,
E F Harris, and
M G Johnson
June 1994,
The Journal of prosthetic dentistry,
E F Harris, and
M G Johnson
July 1986,
American journal of physical anthropology,
E F Harris, and
M G Johnson
November 2023,
European journal of orthodontics,
E F Harris, and
M G Johnson
April 1983,
TAG. Theoretical and applied genetics. Theoretische und angewandte Genetik,
E F Harris, and
M G Johnson
July 2007,
Biological psychology,
E F Harris, and
M G Johnson
January 2007,
BMC proceedings,
E F Harris, and
M G Johnson
March 2007,
Behavior genetics,
