The mesh diagram for analysis of facial growth.

Facial growth of twins by means of proportionate analysis of changes in the location of landmarks within a rectilinear coordinate system (mesh diagram) has been conducted, utilizing cephalometric data on 148 males and 128 females, observed annually from 8 to 16 years of age. Findings show relative consistence of the facial configuration during this 8 year time period, which includes the adolescent growth spurt. The median face in each sex shows little change in the location of soft and hard tissue landmarks, except for slight advancement of the chin as well as dorsal and caudad movement of Gonion. Nonetheless, individual variations in landmark location after 8 years of growth among the subjects studied signal the hazards of prediction within the precise framework that orthodontists seek.