Relationship of Premaxillary Bone and Its Sutures to Deciduous Dentition in

Objective: The relationship of the human premaxillary bone (Pmx) to neighboring craniofacial structures is clouded by its embryonic union with the maxillary bone proper. Only humans among all primates have such early fusion of the premaxillomaxillary suture (PS). This study surveyed the relationship of the PS to the upper deciduous dentition in nonhuman primates, and describes the distribution of bone cells along the osseous margins of the Pmx. Method: Twenty-eight subadult primates were studied using gross, CT, and histologic observations. Location of the anterior deciduous dentition relative to the PS was assessed. In sections of selected specimens, observations of bone cells on the osseous boundaries of the Pmx were made. Osteopontin (OPN) immunohistochemistry was used to isolate osteoclastic binding sites along the Pmx boundaries. Results: The PS was consistently found between deciduous incisor and canine in strepsirrhines of all ages, whereas the suture passed variably close