title: Relationship between thoracic, lordotic, and pelvic inclination and craniofacial morphology in adults.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To analyze the correlation ratios between the spinal posture (thoracic, lordotic, and pelvic inclination) and the craniofacial morphology.
  
  
  METHODS
  The sample consisted of 53 healthy adults (32 women, 21 men; mean age 24.6 years). Six angular skeletal measurements (facial axis, mandibular plane angle, inner gonial angle, lower facial height, facial depth, and maxilla position) were determined based on the analysis of lateral head cephalographs. Rasterstereography was used for a precise reconstruction of the back sagittal profile. From the profile parameters, the upper thoracic inclination, the thoracic angle, the lordotic angle, and the pelvic inclination were determined. The correlations to the craniofacial morphology were calculated by means of the Pearson and Mann-Whitney U-test.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Significant correlations could be obtained with respect to the facial axis and the lordotic angle, the facial axis and the pelvic inclination, the inner gonial angle and the lordotic angle, the inner gonial angle and the pelvic inclination, the mandibular plane angle and the lordotic angle, the mandibular plane angle and the pelvic inclination, as well as the facial depth and the pelvic inclination.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  In the case of postural disorders of the back shape, an interdisciplinary treatment approach seems to be of clinical value. Further prospective studies are necessary to prove how changes in craniofacial parameters can affect the postural balance of an individual.
authors.affiliation: Department of Orthodontics, University of Münster, Münster, Germany. lippold@uni-muenster.de
authors.forename: Carsten
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Lippold
authors.forename: Gholamreza
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Danesh
authors.forename: Markus
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Schilgen
authors.forename: Burkhard
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Drerup
authors.forename: Lars
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Hackenberg
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D002508:Cephalometry; D005145:Face / Q000033:anatomy & histology; D005147:Facial Bones / Q000033:anatomy & histology*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007091:Image Processing, Computer-Assisted; D021621:Imaging, Three-Dimensional; D008297:Male; D008334:Mandible / Q000033:anatomy & histology; D008437:Maxilla / Q000033:anatomy & histology; D010384:Pelvic Bones / Q000033:anatomy & histology*; D010780:Photogrammetry; D011187:Posture / Q000502:physiology*; D012886:Skull / Q000033:anatomy & histology*; D013131:Spine / Q000033:anatomy & histology*; D013904:Thoracic Vertebrae / Q000033:anatomy & histology*; D014716:Vertical Dimension