Assessment of the soft tissue thickness at the lower anterior face in adult patients with different skeletal vertical patterns using cone-beam computed tomography

Abstract

Objective: To evaluate and compare the soft tissue thickness values at the lower anterior face among adult patients with different vertical growth patterns using cone-beam computed tomography.

Material and methods: The study sample consisted of 105 adult patients (54 women and 51 men) with a normal sagittal skeletal pattern divided into three groups according to the vertical growth pattern: high-angle (women/men, 22/13; mean age, 24.54 ± 4.45 years), low-angle (women/men, 14/21; mean age, 24.62 ± 5.08 years), and normal-angle (women/men, 18/17; mean age, 24.22 ± 5.40 years) groups. The soft tissue thickness measurements at the lower anterior face in each group were done and analyzed using the one-way analysis of variance and Tukey tests.

Results: Soft tissue thickness values were the lowest in the high-angle group for both women and men. For women, the thickness values at the labrale superius, labrale inferius, and pogonion were found to be statistically significantly smaller in the high-angle group (11.49 ± 1.05 mm, 12.70 ± 1.92 mm, and 11.64 ± 2.65 mm, respectively) compared with the values in the normal-angle group (13.31 ± 2.01 mm, 15.08 ± 1.94 mm, and 14.69 ± 3.08 mm, respectively) (P < .05, P < .05, and P < .01, respectively). For men, however, no statistically significant differences were found among the vertical growth patterns (P > .05).

Conclusion: Women had statistically significantly thinner thickness at the labrale superius, labrale inferius, and pogonion in the high-angle group compared with the normal-angle group.

Keywords: Cone-beam computed tomography; Soft tissue thickness; Vertical pattern.

Figure 1.

Linear measurements (in millimeters) used in the study. (A) Subnasale (the distance of A-Sn). (B) Labrale superius (prosthion-Ls). (C) Stomion (the shortest distance from upper incisor to Sto). (D) Labrale inferius (infradentale-Li). (E) Labiomentale (B-Labm). (F) Pogonion (Pog-Pog'). (G) Gnathion (Gn-Gn'). Angular measurements (in degrees) used in the study were SN-MP and ANB.