Relationships of Reference Points, Planes and Skull Symmetry on Posterior-anterior Cephalograms in Healthy Young Adults

BACKGROUND: Radiological cephalometry is an important diagnostic tool for analyzing the shape and proportions of the skull. Standardized teleradiography of the skull in posterior-anterior (PA) projection provides orientation data on the symmetry and vertical relations of the skull. The comparison of individual findings with normal values places high demands on the selection of a control group. The aim of this study was to characterize a group to be used as a standard for cephalometric comparisons.

PATIENTS AND METHODS: PA teleradiographs of 23 healthy young adults were analyzed. Distances from reference measuring points to the median sagittal plane and the orbital horizontal plane were made. All individuals showed ideal occlusion. None of the participants had been subjected to orthodontic therapy or craniomaxillofacial surgery.

RESULTS: The measurement results showed a high degree of lateral symmetry of the skeletal reference points and planes. Comparison of the vertical reference lines confirmed the symmetrical constitution of the facial skeleton.

CONCLUSION: The study group is suitable for comparison with the cephalometric evaluations of other study groups.