## 4 Discussion

Table 2: _Cont._  
\begin{table}
\begin{tabular}{c c c c c c c c} \hline \hline
**Variable** & **Mean (mm)** & **SD (mm)** & **MD (mm)** & **95\% Confidence Interval** & \(p\) Value** \\  & & & & **Lower** & **Upper** & \\  & & & & **Bound** & **Bound** & \\ \hline a. TS-Pclin & Occlusal & 9.191 & 1.814 & Occlusal vs. Buccal & 0.378 & \(-\)0.260 & 1.017 & 0.463 \\  & Buccal & 8.813 & 1.835 & Occlusal vs. Palatal & 0.583 & \(-\)0.151 & 1.318 & 0.170 \\  & Palatal & 8.608 & 1.740 & Buccal vs. Palatal & 0.205 & \(-\)0.487 & 0.897 & 1.000 \\ b. SA-SP & Occlusal & 8.500 & 1.575 & Occlusal vs. Buccal & 0.248 & \(-\)0.329 & 0.825 & 0.904 \\  & Buccal & 8.252 & 1.674 & Occlusal vs. Palatal & 0.267 & \(-\)0.397 & 0.931 & 1.000 \\  & Palatal & 8.233 & 1.630 & Buccal vs. Palatal & 0.019 & \(-\)0.607 & 0.645 & 1.000 \\ c. TS-DS & Occlusal & 10.577 & 1.717 & Occlusal vs. Buccal & 0.621 & \(-\)0.223 & 1.64 & 0.232 \\  & Buccal & 9.957 & 2.505 & Occlusal vs. Palatal & 1.075 & 0.105 & 2.045 & 0.024 \\  & Palatal & 9.502 & 2.871 & Buccal vs. Palatal & 0.455 & \(-\)0.460 & 1.369 & 0.695 \\ d. TS-SF & Occlusal & 7.089 & 1.293 & Occlusal vs. Buccal & \(-\)0.089 & \(-\)0.612 & 0.434 & 1.000 \\  & Buccal & 7.178 & 1.611 & Occlusal vs. Palatal & \(-\)0.136 & \(-\)0.738 & 0.465 & 1.000 \\  & Palatal & 7.225 & 1.460 & Buccal vs. Palatal & \(-\)0.047 & \(-\)0.614 & 0.519 & 1.000 \\ e. PClin-SF & Occlusal & 7.155 & 1.349 & Occlusal vs. Buccal & \(-\)0.048 & \(-\)0.543 & 0.447 & 1.000 \\  & Buccal & 7.203 & 1.462 & Occlusal vs. Palatal & 0.086 & \(-\)0.483 & 0.655 & 1.000 \\  & Palatal & 7.069 & 1.351 & Buccal vs. Palatal & 0.134 & \(-\)0.403 & 0.671 & 1.000 \\ f. SM-SF & Occlusal & 7.379 & 1.353 & Occlusal vs. Buccal & \(-\)0.223 & \(-\)0.713 & 0.268 & 0.826 \\  & Buccal & 7.601 & 1.436 & Occlusal vs. Palatal & \(-\)0.201 & \(-\)0.765 & 0.364 & 1.000 \\  & Palatal & 7.580 & 1.344 & Buccal vs. Palatal & 0.022 & \(-\)0.510 & 0.554 & 1.000 \\ g. Sella area & Occlusal & 58.337 & 16.798 & Occla Saudi population. After performing a literature search to the present date, this study was the first of its kind to try to figure out the above-mentioned associated factors. The endochondral growth centers of the cranial base have a close structural interconnection with the nasomaxillary regions during development, impacting the future position of the maxilla [4]. Examination of STM is crucial for the assessment of the pathology in the pituitary gland [11]. The result of this study will impact many fields of dentistry, i.e., orthodontics, implant dentistry, maxillofacial surgery, pediatrics, forensic medicine, anthropology, etc. Our study revealed the prevalence of un-fused SOS of 48.4% in the EETG (1323) and 62.5% in the buccal position group. Limited research data are available at this juncture for comparison; at this point, ours is the only study that has sought to unearth the association between un-fused SOS and different phenotype factors connected with EET using CBCT imaging. Most research studies conducted thus far have focused on correlation of SOS closure with factors such as cervical vertebrae maturation [1]. Onset of puberty [8], age estimation [18; 19; 20; 21], and association with cleft lip and palate patients [13]. This study investigated the relationship of STM with EET in Saudi nationals. It considered seven parameters of STM and six phenotype factors associated with EET, i.e., number (13, 23 or 1323) and position (occlusion, buccal or palatal). The STM was in accordance with a few research studies conducted in the past, wherein they measured all seven parameters similarly to our study [11; 14; 16; 17]. [PERSON] et al. conducted two separate CT morphometric analyses of ST in both Iraqi and Malaysian populations and compared them with the global data [11; 16]. In both the populations they studied the STM, shape and performed multiple analyses to establish connections between age and sex [11; 16]. They found ST morphometrics similar to our study and no significant differences between genders [11; 16]. [PERSON] et al.