Comparison of Soft Tissue Chin Thickness in Adult Patients With Various Mandibular Divergence Patterns

Objective This study aimed to compare the soft tissue chin (STC) thickness at different levels in patients presenting for orthodontic treatment with different vertical facial types. Materials and methods This comparative cross-sectional study was conducted at Sharif Medical & Dental College, Lahore, Pakistan, on 195 subjects. Patients presenting for orthodontic treatment, both genders, aged from 18 to 32 years, and Pakistani nationals were included. Patients with any craniofacial deformity, syndrome, cleft lip and palate, previous orthodontic or orthognathic treatment, and multiple missing teeth and prostheses in edentulous areas were excluded. Vertical facial patterns and STC thickness were recorded from pre-treatment lateral cephalograms. One-way analysis of variance (ANOVA) was applied to compare STC among various vertical facial patterns. Post-hoc analysis was done using the Tukey test. Results There were 126 females (64.62%) and 69 males (35.38%). The mean age was 21.66 ± 3.44 years. All three soft tissue chin thickness distances significantly differed among vertical facial patterns (p<0.001). Multiple comparisons show that the distance between soft and hard tissue pogonion was insignificant between low and normal angle facial heights (p=0.5). Similarly, no significant difference was observed for the distance between soft and hard tissue menton in low and normal angle subjects (p=0.4). The rest of the multiple comparisons were statistically significant (p<0.05). Conclusion The STC thickness is significantly associated with vertical facial divergence. While planning orthognathic surgery or genioplasty of the mandible, due consideration should be given to vertical divergence of the face to avoid unwanted facial changes.