title: Prevalence of long face pattern in Brazilian individuals of different ethnic backgrounds.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  The long face pattern is a facial deformity with increased anterior total facial height due to vertical excess of the lower facial third. Individuals with long face may present different degrees of severity in vertical excess, as well as malocclusions that are difficult to manage. The categorization of vertical excess is useful to determine the treatment prognosis. This survey assessed the distribution of ethnically different individuals with vertical excess according to three levels of severity and determined the prevalence of long face pattern.
  
  
  METHODS
  The survey was comprised of 5,020 individuals of Brazilian ethnicity (2,480 females and 2,540 males) enrolled in middle schools in Bauru-SP, Brazil. The criterion for inclusion of individuals with vertically impaired facial relationships was based on lip incompetence, evaluated under natural light, in standing natural head position with the lips at rest. Once identified, the individuals were classified into three subtypes according to the severity: mild, moderate, and severe. Then the pooled sample was distributed according to ethnical background as White (Caucasoid), Black (African descent), Brown (mixed descent), Yellow (Asian descent) and Brazilian Indian (Brazilian native descent). The Chi-square (χ²) test was used (p<0.05) to compare the frequency ratios of individuals with vertically impaired facial relationships in the total sample and among different ethnicities, according to the three levels of severity.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The severe subtype was rare, except in Black individuals (7.32%), who also presented the highest relative frequency (45.53%) of moderate subtype, followed by Brown individuals (43.40%). In the mild subtype, Yellow (68.08%) and White individuals (62.21%) showed similar and higher relative frequency values.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Black individuals had greater prevalence of long face pattern, followed by Brown, White and Yellow individuals. The prevalence of long face pattern was 14.06% in which 13.39% and 0.68% belonged to moderate and severe subtypes, respectively.
authors.affiliation: University of Sagrado Coração, Bauru, SP, Brazil. maucardoso@uol.com.br
authors.forename: Mauricio de Almeida
authors.initials: Mde A
authors.lastname: Cardoso
authors.forename: Renata Cristina Faria Ribeiro de
authors.initials: RC
authors.lastname: Castro
authors.forename: Tien
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Li An
authors.forename: David
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Normando
authors.forename: Daniela Gamba
authors.initials: DG
authors.lastname: Garib
authors.forename: Leopoldino
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Capelozza Filho
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D001938:Brazil / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000208:ethnology; D016009:Chi-Square Distribution; D002648:Child; D005006:Ethnicity / Q000208:ethnology / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D005145:Face / Q000002:abnormalities; D005147:Facial Bones / Q000002:abnormalities*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008310:Malocclusion / Q000208:ethnology / Q000473:pathology; D015995:Prevalence; D044469:Racial Groups / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D012720:Severity of Illness Index; D013577:Syndrome; D014716:Vertical Dimension