Correlation Assessment of the Results of Soft and Hard Tissue Analysis to Determine Facial Convexity and Facial Angle in Patients Referring to Orthodontic Clinics of Bandar Abbas

Since the harmony and the balance of the face are the result of the interaction between the hard tissue and soft tissues, it is essential to understand the relationship between these two tissues in the treatment planning. The aim of the present study was to investigate the facial angles and face convex angle in the soft tissue and its association with hard tissues in patients referred to Bandar Abbas Faculty of Dentistry. Materials &

In this cross-sectional study 75 lateral cephalograms were evaluated. The subjects were 18-25 years of age and all had a complete permanent dentition (except for the third molars) without a history of facial traumas, orthognathic surgery, orthodontic treatment and congenital anomalies. Facial angle and facial convexity angle of hard and soft tissues, chin soft tissue thickness and upper lip thickness were determined. Data were analyzed with SPSS 22, Mann-Whitney test was used for comparison of male and female subjects. Pearson’s correlation coefficient was used for the analysis of correlations (p value < 0.05).

There was a significant correlation between soft tissue facial angle and hard tissue facial angle (r = 0.9, p value < 0.05) and between soft tissue facial convexity and hard tissue convexity angle (r = 0.7, p value < 0.05). The mean lip thicknesses in male and female subjects were 14.58 ± 2.33 and 12.20 ± 1.74 mm, respectively. There was a significant correlation between chin soft tissue thickness and gender (p value < 0.05). The mean thickness of chin soft tissue in males (12.50 ± 2.32) was higher than that in females (10.84 ± 2.32).

Since there was a significant correlation between soft tissue facial angle and convexity and soft tissue facial angle and convexity, we can use soft tissues to gain knowledge about hard tissues.