Orientation of the plane of occlusion

A study was made of 28 dentulous Chinese Singaporean adults, using lateral skull radiographs. Various craniofacial reference lines and their relations to the maxillary occlusal line were analyzed. The orientation of the natural occlusal line in Chinese adults differed significantly from Swedish white adults. The Frankfort horizontal line in particular was considered disadvantageous as a clinical reference plane largely because of the acknowledged variation of its inclination between Chinese Singaporean and Swedish white adults. The shallow anatomic cant of the maxillary occlusal line in the Chinese patient could be misrepresented by a steep mechanical inclination on the articulator.