Permanent Canine Morphometrics in the Saudi Arabian Population: A Sex-Based Comparison Using Mesiodistal and Cervicoincisal Widths

The present study aimed to evaluate the sex dimorphism in morphometrics of permanent canines using mesiodistal and cervicoincisal widths in the Saudi Arabian population. The study was performed using dental casts of patients attending the prosthodontics department, College of Dentistry, Majmaah University, Saudi Arabia. The inclusion criteria involved the presence of all four permanent canines (maxillary left and right (13 and 23) and mandibular left and right (33 and 43)) without any form of developmental anomalies or dental caries with a complete eruption. Mesiodistal width and cervicoincisal width were measured using a digital caliper, ensuring precision and consistency. Statistical tests included t-tests and correlation analyses using IBM Statistics (version 21) with p ≤ 0.05 significance level. A total of 94 sets of dental casts of patients with a mean age of 24.6 ± 4.06 were available in the study for evaluation. Tooth 13 was found to have a higher mesiodistal width (8.12 ± 0.57 mm), while tooth 43 was observed to have a higher cervicoincisal width (9.3 ± 0.9 mm). The study observed gender-based differences in mean scores, with females generally having slightly lower mean scores in mesiodistal and where males (p < 0.05) observed with slightly low cervicoincisal widths compared to females. Positive correlations were found between age and mesiodistal and cervicoincisal scores across various dimensions (p < 0.005). There was evidence of difference in mesiodistal and cervicoincisal widths among antimeres. The percentage of sex dimorphism varied across dimensions, with some showing more pronounced gender-related differences. The study establishes the mesiodistal and cervicoincisal widths of all permanent canines can be used to identify sex dimorphism in the Saudi Arabian population.