Soft-tissue cephalometric norms in Chinese adults with esthetic facial profiles

Using a double selection process comprised of professional and lay judges, the cephalometric tracings on a final sample of 48 Chinese adults with esthetically pleasing profiles were analyzed. The soft-tissue cephalometric norms and standard deviations of two widely accepted soft-tissue analyses, the Legan and Burstone analysis and the Holdaway analysis, were determined. In comparison with white norms, the Chinese nose was less prominent (P < .01), the nasolabial angle was less obtuse (P < .01), both the upper and lower lips were more protrusive (P < .05), the upper lip curvature was greater (P < .01), and the soft-tissue chin thickness was less (P < .05). This variance between racial types emphasizes the need to recognize that soft-tissue lateral cephalometric norms are specific for the racial group and cannot always be applied across different racial types.