Related Experiment Video
Updated: Jun 17, 2026

Scanning Skeletal Remains for Bone Mineral Density in Forensic Contexts
Published on: January 29, 2018
Cephalometric evaluation of white Brazilian adult skeleton
M Gerhardt De Oliveira1, V Salim Silveira, P Whemeyer Fregapani
1Pontifícia Universidade Católica do Rio Grande do Sul (PUCRS), Porto Alegre, Brazil. mogerhardt@yahoo.com.br
Aim:
The aim of the present study was to compare cephalometric norms of white Brazilian adults with the values described by Tweed, who measured white North American adults. Sexual dimorphism was also evaluated, and male and female facial features were compared.
Methods:
Samples were obtained from 40 lateral cephalograms and divided into groups of 20, according to patient's gender. The radiographs were analyzed using the computer-assisted Tweed cephalometric analysis and the 2.0 Radiocef software. Results were analyzed statistically using the Student's t test for genders and ethnicities. The level of significance was set at P< or =0.05.
Results:
The comparison with Tweed norms revealed that Brazilians have a convex profile and more marked labial tipping of mandibular incisors than North Americans. Sexual dimorphism was found only in linear measurements, which suggests that facial morphology is similar for Brazilian males and females.
Conclusions:
Results revealed significant statistical differences in linear and angular cephalometric dimensions between different ethnic groups, which supports the idea that ethnicity should be included in cephalometric analyses.
Related Concept Videos
Overview of the Skull
The cranial vault surrounds and protects the brain and houses the middle and inner ear structures. This cavity is bounded superiorly by the rounded top of the skull, which...
Overview of the Axial Skeleton
The axial skeleton of the adult...
Cranial Bones: Lateral View
The temporal bone forms the lower lateral side of the skull. The temporal bone is subdivided into several regions. The flattened upper portion is the squamous portion of the temporal bone. Below this area and projecting anteriorly is the zygomatic process of the temporal bone, which forms the posterior portion of the zygomatic arch. Posteriorly is the mastoid portion of the temporal bone. Projecting...
Cranial Bones: Superior and Posterior View
The frontal bone is the single bone that forms the forehead. At its anterior midline, between the eyebrows, there is a slight depression called the glabella. The frontal bone also forms the supraorbital margin of the orbit. Near the middle of this margin is the supraorbital foramen, the opening that provides passage for a sensory nerve to the forehead. The frontal bone is thickened just above each supraorbital margin,...
Sutures of the Skull
Sutures are immobile joints between adjacent bones of the skull. The narrow gap between the bones is filled with dense, fibrous connective tissue that unites the bones. The long sutures located between the skull bones are not straight but instead follow irregular, tightly twisting paths. These twisting lines tightly...
Gross Anatomy of Bone
The diaphysis is the tubular shaft that runs between the proximal and distal ends of the bone. The walls of the diaphysis are composed of dense and hard compact bone made of numerous osteons — the functional unit of the compact bone. The hollow region in the diaphysis is called the medullary cavity, which harbors the bone marrow. In infants and children, this marrow cavity is filled with red marrow, whereas in adults, it...

