Evaluation of different approaches for sagittal skeletal discrepancy assessment

Abstract

Introduction The accurate assessment of the sagittal jaw relationship between the maxilla and mandible plays a pivotal role in orthodontic diagnosis and treatment planning. Researchers have introduced both linear and angular measurements to establish a precise method for evaluating sagittal base discrepancies. Aim The aim was to assess the different approaches for sagittal skeletal discrepancy assessment. Material and methods The study included 180 pretreated lateral cephalometric radiographs of Egyptian orthodontic patients of both sexes with varying skeletal malocclusion patterns from the Orthodontic Department clinic at Tanta University. These radiographs were meticulously traced onto lead acetate paper using a 0.5 mm lead pencil and an LED tracing screen for adequate illumination. A total of 60 cephalometric radiographs were grouped based on the ANB angle into three skeletal categories: group 1 (class I, ANB° 2°–4°), group 2 (class II, ANB° >4°), and group 3 (class III, ANB° <2°). To analyze the data, each linear and angular parameter (including ANB°, Wits appraisal, AF-BF distance, APDI angle, Beta angle, Yen angle, and W angle) was compared among these three skeletal groups using the F test (analysis of variance), to compare between more than two groups, for normally distributed quantitative variable. Additionally, the Spearman coefficient test was employed to examine the correlations between various linear and angular measurements studied. Results All the performed parameters ANB, Yen, W, Beta, Wits appraisal, and AF-BF distance showed significantly differences for skeletal classes I, II, III. APDI angle differed significantly between both classes I and III and also classes II and III, but did not differ significantly between classes I and II. Strong correlations were found among the studied parameters except between Wits appraisal and AF-BF distance which showed nonsignificant correlation. Conclusion The previous parameters are equally important in terms of diagnosis and reliability, allowing them to serve as alternative analyses under challenging circumstances.