Cephalometric pattern of Jewish East European adolescents with clinically acceptable occlusion

Knowledge of the normal dentofacial patterns of various ethnic groups is important for clinical and research purposes. The objective of this study was to describe the dentofacial pattern of one Jewish ethnic group and to compare it with accepted standards for other white populations. Lateral cephalometric radiographs of 18 children of Jewish East European origin with clinically acceptable permanent occlusion, ages 11 to 13 years, were used. A computer-aided cephalometric analysis was performed, and the mean values and standard deviations for the various cephalometric variables were obtained. When compared with some classical standards, it was found that this ethnic group tended toward a mild skeletal Class II, a convex profile, and a more vertical direction of growth. These features appeared in persons selected on the basis of a clinically acceptable occlusion, suggesting the existence of dental compensations. Understanding these natural accommodations of the dentition to skeletal variations can be clinically useful when establishing treatment goals.