Morphometric investigation in the skulls of young adults. A comparative study between 19th century and modern Italian samples.

Objective: To test the hypothesis that there are no differences in the shape of the cranial complex between two samples from the same restricted geographical area and separated by almost 150 years. Materials and Methods: A group of 35 skulls from the 19th century were selected and compared with a modern sample composed of 43 young adult subjects by means of lateral cephalograms and using a morphometric analysis. The peculiarity of this work is the uniformity of the two samples involving adults coming from the same restricted birthplace and with homogeneity for the orthodontic classification. Results: Although the time spans are short, significant differences were found between the two samples. Shape changes included maxillary elongation toward the posterior region and a marked change in shape configuration in the mandible's points that shows a posterior rotation of the mandibular body. The global result of this cranial base point's movements symbolizes a tiny tendency toward closure of the cranial base angle. Conclusions: The hypothesis is rejected. Changes were evident, and environmental influences can be responsible for these changes