A Comparative Orthognathic Cephalometric Study Among Saudi, African-American and Japanese Adults: Hard Tissue Measurements

Keywords: Burstone analysis, Hard-tissue measurements, Orthognathic surgery, Saudi adult, Black American<br>adult, Japanese adult, Comparison, Ethnic difference.<br>Abstract. The purpose of the present investigation was to compare hard tissue analysis obtained from Saudi adults<br>with reference data of Japanese and African-American adults in order to determine the differences of the hard<br>tissue analysis between different ethnic groups. Sixty-two lateral cephalometric radiographs were collected from<br>the archives of cephalometric radiograph files taken by dental students of King Saud University, College of<br>Dentistry (31 females and 31 males), age range was 22-24 years. The lateral cephalometric radiographs were<br>analyzed and the mean values of hard and dental measurement were compared with those of African-American<br>adults, and the Japanese adults. The results showed Saudi males compared to Black had significantly: increased<br>anterior cranial base, and reduced posterior cranial base, reduced facial convexity, maxillary protrusion, and<br>maxillary length. Saudi adult females had smaller upper posterior facial height and lower anterior facial height,<br>downward tipping of maxilla, smaller vertical dental heights, reduced total mandibular body length, and less<br>proclination of lower incisors. Saudi adults compared to Japanese had significantly: increased anterior cranial<br>base, reduced posterior cranial base, prognathic maxilla, prominent chin, smaller vertical lower dental heights,<br>smaller ramus and obtuse gonial angle in males, less proclination of upper and lower incisors, and less steep<br>occlusal plane to horizontal plane.<br>This study may be useful in providing racially specific cephalometric values for diagnosis and treatment<br>planning for orthognathic surgery of Saudi adults. It might represent true differences in skeletal and dental features<br>between the three racial groups.