Stature, head height, and growth of the vertical face

Six hundred sixty-three cephalometric radiographs are used in a mixed longitudinal sample of fifty-one subjects (twenty-six males and twenty-five females) in order to determine patterns of vertical facial change during growth and to discern lower, mid-, and upper facial relationships with stature and head height. Results indicate that the absolute growth of the face is similar to the neural pattern and that throughout growth the face is larger among males than among females. However, when facial values are examined relative to stature and head height, the vertical face changes at a rate that resembles statural growth. Moreover, when relative growth values are standardized in order to reduce scaling differences, they indicate that, although relative growth for all three facial measures falls between neural and skeletal values, it is closer to the postcranial pattern of change than to the neural pattern. In addition, relative size of the upper face is highly correlated with relative size of the lower face. It is concluded that stature is of greater importance than head height in the prediction of vertical facial growth.