A Study of Dentofacial Morphology in Yemeni Adults with Normal Occlusions a cross sectional prospective study

OBJECTIVE: The purpose of this study was to describe the dentofacial morphology of Yemeni adults. MATERIALS AND METHODS: The lateral cephalograms of 100 Yemeni adults (50 males, 50 females) were included in the study. All subjects were born to Yemeni parents and grandparents. They all had Class I occlusions with minor or no crowding, well-aligned upper and lower dental arches, good facial harmony, all teeth present except third molars, and no history of orthodontic therapy or maxillofacial surgery. Five angular and eighteen linear measurements were analyzed to determine the soft tissue, skeletal, and dental features. The differences for each measurement between Yemeni males and females were calculated using unpaired t–tests. RESULTS: Significant sexual and racial differences were found for three linear parameters in the skeletal analysis, one angle, and four linear dental measurements, and for all soft tissue linear parameters. Yemeni adults showed a tendency to a facial pattern of Class II, convex profile, reduced prominence of chin, increased lower facial height, and a clockwise rotation of the mandibular plane angle. CONCLUSION: Yemeni adults have different dentofacial parameters when compared to other racial standards, and these differences could aid in diagnosis and treatment planning.