Abstract
Aims: This study compared the reliability of measurements of soft tissue cephalometric analysis be- tween the direct digital and conventional cephalometric images using computerized cephalometric pro- gram and hand tracing. Materials and Methods: The adult sample consisted of (30) Iraqi subjects (females and males) with age ranged 18 - 25 years old, the samples satisfied the criteria of this study. Nine soft tissue measurements were recorded from lateral cephalometric radiographs using either hand tracing or digitally directly on the monitor. The data were analyzed using descriptive statistic and stu- dent's t-test. Results: No significant differences were found between the conventional or hand tracing and digital cephalometric analysis. Conclusions: The analysis of soft tissue profile using digital cepha- lometric analysis is reliable as using the conventional method. Yet, the digital method had more benefit than the conventional method, such as reduction of the radiation dose and the image enhancement.
Highlights
From ancient societies and cultures to our modern society, a great emphasis has been placed on the facial esthetics and physical attractiveness
Cephalometric norms of various ethnic and racial groups have been established in many studies
Most investigators have concluded that there are significant differences between ethnic and racial groups, and many cephalometric standards have been developed for various ethnic groups
Summary
From ancient societies and cultures to our modern society, a great emphasis has been placed on the facial esthetics and physical attractiveness. The aim of orthodontic treatment is to achieve a proper, functional occlusion together with a well balanced and esthetic facial profile; many studies on the ideal relationship of skeletal and soft tissue have been carried out. Most investigations on the reliability of soft tissue cephalometric measurements using conventional and digital cephalometric analysis have dealt mainly with the skeletal reference points.(15–17) Only a few authors have studied problems and benefits regarding the reproducibility of soft tissue measurements.(18–19) Each radiographic exposure is a potential risk for the patient. The development of digital radiograph led to the further reduction in radiation without the loss of diagnostic quality in addition to other benefits like the image processing, the storage improvement and information access or transfer. The aim of this study is to find the most appropriate method of assessing soft tissue profile to be used both in clinical and research works
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