title: Lateral cephalometric norms for adolescent Kuwaitis: soft tissue measurements.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  The purpose of this study was to establish lateral cephalometric soft tissue norms for adolescent Kuwaitis and to compare these norms to those of the common analysis systems.
  
  
  METHODS
  Digital lateral cephalograms were made of 82 Kuwaiti boys and 80 Kuwaiti girls, of mean age 13.27 +/- 0.42 and 13.21 +/- 0.43 years, respectively, with almost ideal occlusion. Anatomic landmarks were identified directly on the digital images. Linear and angular measurements were calculated electronically using the Dolphin (version 9) software package.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The average subject in the sample had a smaller Z angle, a larger H angle, thicker soft tissue at point A and the pogonion, and an increase in most measurements for lip protrusion when compared to the norms of the common analysis systems. The ranges of the majority of facial and labial parameters were larger than those reported in the above-mentioned norms. Gender differences were limited to upper lip length.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Our findings suggest that Kuwaiti norms for lip protrusion should be used when making the extraction decision in adolescent Kuwaiti orthodontic patients. The larger than previously documented variation of the majority of soft tissue parameters suggests a need for establishing different norms for different facial types.
authors.affiliation: Department of Developmental and Preventive Sciences, Faculty of Dentistry, Kuwait University, Kuwait. rashed@hsc.edu.kw
authors.forename: Rashed
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Al-Azemi
authors.forename: Badreia
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Al-Jame
authors.forename: Jon
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Artun
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000367:Age Factors; D002508:Cephalometry / Q000295:instrumentation* / Q000379:methods; D005145:Face / Q000033:anatomy & histology*; D005260:Female; D006257:Head / Q000033:anatomy & histology; D006801:Humans; D007730:Kuwait; D008046:Lip / Q000033:anatomy & histology*; D008297:Male; D009970:Orthodontics; D012016:Reference Values; D012737:Sex Factors