Currently, we know that the human jaws continue to grow well into adulthood, but at a much slower rate than during infancy and puberty.
As an average, skeletal maturity (after peak pubertal growth has ended) for girls is 17 years, and 19 years for boys. This figure can vary by about 6 years on either side.
Late erratic growth in adults has caused issues with dental implants. The adjacent natural teeth have to compensate for the immobile nature of the implant that is unable to move with the rest of the jawbone.
References:
1. Dental Implants, Growth of the Jaws, and Determination of Skeletal Maturity. Atlas Oral Maxillofacial Surg Clin N Am 16 (2008) 1–9
2. Facial Development, Continuous Tooth Eruption, and Mesial Drift as Compromising Factors for Implant Placement. International Journal of Oral & Maxillofacial Implants. Nov/Dec 2006, Vol. 21 Issue 6, p867-878.
3. Lifelong Craniofacial Growth and the Implications for Osseointegrated Implants. International Journal of Oral & Maxillofacial Implants. 2013, Vol. 28 Issue 1, p163-169. 7p.
