Comparison of soft tissue chin thickness at different Cephalometric points and its correlation with Mandibular divergence pattern in south Indian population

Objectives of the study: To compare soft tissue chin thickness at different cephalometric points and its correlation with mandibular divergence pattern in south indian population Materials and Method: Lateral cephalograms of 90 South Indian patients in the age group 18 and above were taken and divided into three groups – low angle, medium angle and high angle of manbibular plane to the cranial base. Soft tissue chin thickness was measured at three different levels of chin: Pogonion, Gnathion, Menton. The soft tissue chin thickness was also compared between males and females. Results: One-way analysis of variance (ANOVA), followed by comparison between different growth pattern groups using Post Hoc Tukey’s test was done. Statistically significant difference was seen between the low angle and high angle groups with increased soft tissue chin thickness in high angle cases. No statistically significant difference was observed between males and females. Conclusion: Soft tissue chin thickness was minimum at menton and maximum at pogonion. Thicker soft tissue was seen in low angle cases, with no statistically significant sexual dimorphism.