Purpose: To study the correlation between midfacial soft tissues and craniofacial hard structures of malocclusions with different skeletal patterns by Arnett analysis.
Methods: 60 children (26 males, 34 females), aged from 12 to 16 years, who had no orthodontic treatment, congenital craniofacial deformity and remarkable facial asymmetry, were divided into 3 groups according to ANB. Lateral cephalograms were taken when the patients' heads in natural positions and metal beads placed on right midface according to Arnett analysis. Statistical analysis was performed using SPSS10.0 software package and the values of midfacial soft tissues were compared among groups with one-way ANOVA. In addition, correlation analysis was conducted to determine the correlation between soft and hard tissues.
Results: The values were significantly varied with different ANB (P<0.01) such as overbite, overjet, orbital rim, cheek bone, Md1, lower lip anterior, throat length and facial angle. Mx occlusal plane, pogonion', subnasale'-pogonion', orbital rims, subpupil, alar base, cheek bone had significant correlation with SNB, while values like cheek bone and alar base had significant correlation with ANB.
Conclusions: The soft tissues of midface are greatly correlative to craniofacial hard structures such as the sagital relationship of upper and lower jaws.