Correlation of nasal width to inter-canine distance in various arch forms.

Selection of teeth for dentures to provide a aesthetically pleasing appearance is a challenge often encountered. Various anthropometric measurements have been utilised traditionally, which is subjective to each practitioner. Interalar width is one of the routinely used method in the selection of upper anterior teeth. It is based on the premise that the parallel line drawn from the alae of the nose touches the tip of the canine. However this may not hold good for all type of arch forms. This paper finds a correlation between the alar of the nose and the tip of the canine for the various arch forms.