Correlation Between Sex and Facial Soft Tissue Characteristics Among Young Saudi Patients with Various Orthodontic Skeletal Malocclusions

Abstract

Departmental sources Background: There is a debate over the influence of sex on facial soft tissue physiognomies. Therefore, the present study used teleradiographs to assess and compare the soft tissue physiognomies between males and females in a sample from Saudi Arabia who have various orthodontic malocclusions. Material/Methods: We obtained 221 lateral cephalometric radiographs taken from orthodontic clinics of patients ages 16-26 years (114 males and 107 females) living in the central and eastern regions of Saudi Arabia. OnyxCeph3TM digital software was used to analyze the dentoskeletal classification of the sample as class I (n=84), class II division 1 (n=42), class II division 2 (n=33), and class III (n=62). Burstone analysis of 6 linear measurements for facial soft tissue thickness (FSTT) was used. We used descriptive analysis and the independent-samples t test using SPSS version 25 for Windows (Chicago, IL) with p<0.05 set as the level of statistical significance. Results: Male patients with a class I dento-skeletal relationship showed thicker FSTT; the most significant thickness was seen near the glabella, followed by the upper/lower lip and sub-labiomental sulcus areas. Male patients with class II division 1 showed a substantial difference in FSTT at subnasal, lower lip, and sub-labiomental sulcus areas. No significant difference in FSTT was found between males and females among class II division 2 and class III patients. Conclusions: These observations of significant changes in facial structures of Saudis between males and females should be of great help for diagnosis of orthodontic cases in Saudi adults.

Association of Upper Lip Morphology Characteristics with Sagittal and Vertical Skeletal Patterns: A Cross Sectional Study

“…Multiple variates have been proven to influence soft tissue morphology. Gender is one of the most often-mentioned variates, with multiple studies showing that male patients tend to have thicker soft tissue compared with females with the same skeletal patterns, but the significance of gender difference varies among different skeletal patterns [ 6 , 10 , 38 ]. Race, as abovementioned, is an important genetic factor influencing soft tissue responding to skeletal patterns [ 30 ].…”

“…increase the variability of soft tissue morphology. For example, males are found to have thicker lower third facial soft tissue than female with the same skeletal patterns [ 6 , 10 ]. Moreover, dental characteristics, such as crowding, occlusal relationship, and incisor position, also play an influential role.…”

The influence of mandibular divergence on facial soft tissue thickness in class I patients: a cephalometric study

“…Or, similar to sagittal developmental pattern, soft tissues compensate for the vertical disharmony with their thickness? Ajwa et al and Jazmati et al think that variations in the soft tissue thickness are not correlated with craniofacial morphology [2,10]. Kamak established that there are only differences in the lip area [12].…”

“…The influence of sagittal developmental pattern on the facial soft tissue thickness (FSTT) was proven in multiple contemporary studies. Increased soft tissue thickness was reported where there is anteroposterior skeletal jaw deficiency [2,18]. Where there is not a jawbone deficiency, there are the greatest gender differences in the soft tissue thickness [16].…”

Balance and thickness of soft tissue of the lower third of the face in different vertical patterns of growth

“…The largest number of studies are concerned with tracking the changes in thickness of soft tissues which occur during the treatment [7,8]. There are also studies which deal with the analysis of soft tissues in horizontal type of malocclusion [9,10]. Krooks et al [11] claim that sagittal dimensions of the face influence facial esthetics more than the vertical dimensions.…”