title: Assessment of the soft tissue thickness at the lower anterior face in adult patients with different skeletal vertical patterns using cone-beam computed tomography.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To evaluate and compare the soft tissue thickness values at the lower anterior face among adult patients with different vertical growth patterns using cone-beam computed tomography.
  
  
  METHODS
  The study sample consisted of 105 adult patients (54 women and 51 men) with a normal sagittal skeletal pattern divided into three groups according to the vertical growth pattern: high-angle (women/men, 22/13; mean age, 24.54 ± 4.45 years), low-angle (women/men, 14/21; mean age, 24.62 ± 5.08 years), and normal-angle (women/men, 18/17; mean age, 24.22 ± 5.40 years) groups. The soft tissue thickness measurements at the lower anterior face in each group were done and analyzed using the one-way analysis of variance and Tukey tests.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Soft tissue thickness values were the lowest in the high-angle group for both women and men. For women, the thickness values at the labrale superius, labrale inferius, and pogonion were found to be statistically significantly smaller in the high-angle group (11.49 ± 1.05 mm, 12.70 ± 1.92 mm, and 11.64 ± 2.65 mm, respectively) compared with the values in the normal-angle group (13.31 ± 2.01 mm, 15.08 ± 1.94 mm, and 14.69 ± 3.08 mm, respectively) (P < .05, P < .05, and P < .01, respectively). For men, however, no statistically significant differences were found among the vertical growth patterns (P > .05).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Women had statistically significantly thinner thickness at the labrale superius, labrale inferius, and pogonion in the high-angle group compared with the normal-angle group.
authors.affiliation: a Associate Professor, Department of Orthodontics, Faculty of Dentistry, Akdeniz University, Antalya, Turkey.
authors.forename: Mevlut
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Celikoglu
authors.forename: Suleyman K
authors.initials: SK
authors.lastname: Buyuk
authors.forename: Abdullah
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Ekizer
authors.forename: Ahmet E
authors.initials: AE
authors.lastname: Sekerci
authors.forename: Yildiray
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Sisman
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D002508:Cephalometry / Q000379:methods; D002680:Chin / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging; D054893:Cone-Beam Computed Tomography / Q000379:methods*; D005145:Face / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007091:Image Processing, Computer-Assisted / Q000379:methods; D008046:Lip / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging; D008297:Male; D008445:Maxillofacial Development / Q000502:physiology*; D012737:Sex Factors; D014716:Vertical Dimension; D055815:Young Adult
keywords: Cone-beam computed tomography; Soft tissue thickness; Vertical pattern