[The growth of the maxilla in humans. What place for the premaxilla?].

INTRODUCTION: The growth of the maxilla in man is still debated. Many authors described an anterior part of the maxillary bone, called premaxilla distinct from the maxilla proper. This description referred to the existence in animals of an incisive or premaxillary bone which does not exist in man. Is this distinction pertinent in the human facial growth? MATERIAL AND METHODS: To settle this question, we performed a histologic study in eight embryos and fetuses aged from 40 days to 10 weeks post conceptional (PC) and an anatomic dissection of 3 palates of fetuses aged from 22 to 30 weeks PC. RESULTS: We found only one maxillary point of ossification, and the growth of the anterior part of the maxilla cannot be separated from the global growth of the maxilla. DISCUSSION: The independence of the anterior part of the maxilla in man is very limited during the growth and cannot justify the term of premaxilla.