Scholarly Article
SOFT TISSUE CEPHALOMETRIC NORMS IN KASHMIRI ADULTS USING ARNETT'S ANALYSIS: INFLUENCE OF GENDER AND VERTICAL GROWTH PATTERN
Kaur, Nameeta, Mushtaq, Mohammad
2026-04-27 · International Journal of Clinical and Biomedical Research · Sumathi Publications
Abstract
Orthodontic diagnosis increasingly integrates soft tissue evaluation alongside conventional skeletal analysis, recognising that facial esthetics is principally determined by the overlying soft tissue envelope rather than by bony structures alone. Arnett's Soft Tissue Cephalometric Analysis (STCA) provides a widely used diagnostic framework; however, its normative standards were derived from Caucasian subjects and may not be directly applicable to other ethnic populations. No reference data exist for the Kashmiri population. A cross-sectional study was conducted on 100 Kashmiri adults (50 males, 50 females) aged 18-30 years. Subjects were classified as normodivergent (n = 20), hypodivergent (n = 40), or hyperdivergent (n = 40) based on cephalometric vertical skeletal parameters. Standardised lateral cephalograms were obtained in natural head position and analysed using Arnett's STCA protocol. Sex differences were assessed by independent-samples t-tests; inter-group comparisons across growth patterns were performed using one-way ANOVA with Tukey HSD post-hoc testing. Intra- and inter-examiner reliability were evaluated using intraclass correlation coefficients (ICC) and Dahlberg's error formula. Statistical significance was set at p < 0.05. Male subjects exhibited significantly greater soft tissue thickness in the lip and chin regions than females (upper lip: 15.16 ± 0.7 mm vs. 12.27 ± 0.8 mm; Pogonion-Pogonion': 14.89 ± 0.8 mm vs. 13.38 ± 1.1 mm; p < 0.001). Hyperdivergent individuals showed significantly increased lower anterior facial height (74.67 ± 5.2 mm) relative to normodivergent (68.42 ± 4.3 mm) and hypodivergent groups (64.18 ± 3.9 mm; p < 0.001). Chin soft tissue thickness was comparatively reduced in hyperdivergent subjects. Kashmiri adults demonstrated significantly thicker perioral and chin soft tissues and a more acute nasolabial angle than Caucasian reference values reported in Arnett's STCA. Soft tissue facial morphology in Kashmiri adults differs appreciably from Caucasian normative standards and is significantly influenced by both sex and vertical skeletal growth pattern. These findings support the use of population-specific cephalometric norms for more accurate orthodontic diagnosis and treatment planning in Kashmiri patients.
Keywords
Arnett's analysis, cephalometric norms, Kashmiri population, orthodontic diagnosis, Soft tissue cephalometry, vertical growth pattern
Citation Details
International Journal of Clinical and Biomedical Research, Vol. 11, No. 2, pp. 36-44