Lateral Cephalometric Study in Adult Bulgarians with Normal Occlusion

Orthodontic treatment is effective when the facial and cephalometric characteristics of the ethnic background of patients are considered because the normal measurements for one group are not necessarily normal for another group. It is important to develop individual standards for each population. Different racial groups must be treated according to their own characteristics. The aim of this study was to establish a cephalometric standard of the cranial bases and jaw bases for Bulgarian population and to find the differences between males and females. The pilot study included 390 adult Bulgarians. Of these, 90 cases with intact dentitions, harmonious faces and Angle Class I occlusion who have not received orthodontic treatment, were purposefully selected. Lateral cephalometric radiographs of the selected subjects were taken. Six linear/angular measurements combining sagittal parameters selected form Steiner (ANB angular indicator), Schwarz (S-N, Ba-N, A1-PNS, Go- APMan linear indicators) and Jacobson (WITS-linear indicator) analysis were recorded. Student's t-test with 5% significance level was used for data analysis (means, standard deviations, maximum and minimum values) and to assess gender differences. A gender-based cephalometric analysis of indicators found that there are statistically significant differences. Only the ANB angular parameter did not show any statistically significant difference between genders. The cephalometric variables measured in this study were significantly different between the genders except for angle ANB, and they were higher in boys. The results of our study confirm previous research on the topic presented in specialized literature.