FSA Angle: A Soft Tissue Approach for Assessing Sagittal Skeletal Discrepancy

INTRODUCTION: Lateral cephalograms are taken as a diagnostic aid for the evaluation of the anteroposterior relationships. The assessment of anteroposterior soft tissue relationships is by using skeletal points and cranial reference planes. The anteroposterior relationships are, however, clinically affected by soft tissue structures. In this pilot study, we aim to assess the anteroposterior relationships based on soft tissue landmarks. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Lateral cephalograms were collected from 100 patients and evaluated on Facad software. The subject consisted of a mean age of 20 ± 7 years. Fifty-four cephalograms selected were used to perform the analysis. A new angle FSA was measured based on soft tissue landmarks. A new plane used for this analysis is the SA plane. Using this angle, we classified the cephalograms as class I, II, and III. RESULTS: There is a statistically significant value to differentiate the profile of patients using the FSA angle. Thus, this new angle is created to determine the anteroposterior soft tissue relationship using soft tissue landmarks on a cephalometric analysis and from our data, the value was 81 ± 7.57° for class 1 patients that is consistent with the previous studies which evaluate sagittal skeletal relationships. CONCLUSION: There are various difficulties and errors in the previous analysis that is used to determine the anteroposterior jaw relations. Skeletal landmarks have been used previously and most of these points are not stable points. Thus, this new analysis that will be using soft tissue landmarks can be used to differentiate in the various profiles of patients with different malocclusions. HOW TO CITE THIS ARTICLE: Sreenivasagan S, Sivakumar A. FSA Angle: A Soft Tissue Approach for Assessing Sagittal Skeletal Discrepancy. Int J Clin Pediatr Dent 2021;14(S-1):S54–S56.