Craniofacial morphology of orthodontically untreated patients living in Saxony, Germany.

The subject of this study is an analysis of the possible specific ethnic characteristics of the craniofacial morphology within the Saxon population. For this purpose we analyzed, in a cephalometric cross-sectional study, lateral cephalometric radiographs taken between 1992 and 1994 of 10,047 orthodontically untreated native Saxon patients. The cephalometric analysis used was a synthesis of several classic procedures as applied at Leipzig University. Among the sagittal parameters there was a relatively high prevalence of mandibular retrognathism and skeletal distal jaw relationship. The vertical parameters displayed a relatively good balance between vertical and horizontal growth patterns. With respect to sexual dimorphism, the differences in the angular parameters and in the indices of relationship were only moderate and so almost irrelevant in clinical terms. Among the age-related changes, the focus is on the increase in the degree of prognathism of both jaws and the anterior rotation of the mandible.