Defining Norms for the Upper and Lower Lips of the Himachali Ethnic Population:A Cephalometric Study

Introduction: The great variance in soft-tissue drape of the human face complicates accurate assessment of the soft-tissue profile and it is a known fact that facial features of different ethnic groups differ significantly. This study was undertaken to establish soft tissue norms for Himachali ethnic population.
Method: The sample comprised lateral cephalograms taken in natural head position of 100 normal subjects (50 males, 50 females). The cephalograms were analyzed by Arnett soft tissue cephalometric analysis for orthodontic diagnosis and treatment planning. The Student t test was used to compare the means of the 2 groups.
Results: Statistically significant differences were found between Himachali males and females in certain key parameters. Males have thicker soft-tissue structures than females. Whereas females have greater interlabial gap when compared with Himachali males. When compared with other ethnic groups, Himachali subjects have thicker soft tissue structures.
Conclusions: Statistically significant differences were found between Himachali males and females in certain key parameters. Differences were also noted between other ethnic groups and Himachali faces.