title: Comparison of linear cephalometric dimensions in Americans of European descent (Ann Arbor, Cleveland, Philadelphia) and Americans of African descent (Nashville).
abstract: Eleven dimensions, extracted from four commercially available cephalometric atlases were compared. Three populations were American of European descent and one was American of African descent. The source data were carefully corrected for linear enlargement. The confounding effect of linear radiographic enlargement is exemplified by depicting the often-used distance, sella-nasion, before and after correction. Total face height was smallest in the Cleveland population and largest in the Nashville population. The difference was fully accounted for by differences in lower face height and that was the most variable of all dimensions studied. Upper face height was almost identical in all four populations. Posterior face height was largest in the Nashville population. The mandible in the Nashville population had an average ramus height, but a longer corpus. Mandibular dimensions were equal in the three other populations. The maxilla was clearly shortest in the Cleveland population and almost of equal length in the three others.
authors.affiliation: Department of Orthodontics, Philipps University, Marburg, Germany. Dibbets@Mailer.Uni-Marburg.de
authors.forename: Jos M H
authors.initials: JM
authors.lastname: Dibbets
authors.forename: Kai
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Nolte
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000349:Africa / Q000208:ethnology; D001741:Black or African American; D044383:Black People; D002508:Cephalometry; D002648:Child; D002680:Chin / Q000033:anatomy & histology; D015986:Confounding Factors, Epidemiologic; D005060:Europe / Q000208:ethnology; D005145:Face / Q000033:anatomy & histology*; D005147:Facial Bones / Q000033:anatomy & histology*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008137:Longitudinal Studies; D008297:Male; D008334:Mandible / Q000033:anatomy & histology; D008437:Maxilla / Q000033:anatomy & histology; D008824:Michigan; D009666:Nose / Q000033:anatomy & histology; D009820:Ohio; D015143:Philadelphia; D011858:Radiographic Magnification; D012658:Sella Turcica / Q000033:anatomy & histology; D013714:Tennessee; D014716:Vertical Dimension; D044465:White People