Diagnostic evaluation of skeletal cephalometric parameters and photograph-Based soft tissue parameters in Malwa Population

The primary goal of orthodontic diagnostic and treatment planning is to create a balanced and aesthetically attractive face. During the decades-long period of cephalometric dominance, the "aesthetic" of the face was predominantly used to describe the profile as observed on a lateral cephalogram However, the paradigm has now shifted to soft tissue-based diagnosis and treatment planning. This creates the need for soft tissue-based analysis especially on photographs considering its evaluation of myriad populations. To evaluate the skeletal cephalometric parameters and photograph-based soft tissue parameters in the Malwa population. The study was conducted using 50 lateral cephalometric radiographs and 50 profile photographs. Data were analyzed for probability distribution using the Shapiro-Wilk test. Descriptive statistics were performed and data were presented as median and inter-quartile range. Correlation between the variables was assessed using Spearman’s correlation coefficient. P value < .05 was considered statistically significant. Our reported values of both photographic and lateral cephalogram parameters are different not only from the international population, but also different values are observed from the not only Indian population, but also from various subsets of the Indian population. Therefore, the average value of lateral profile photographic parameters as well as cephalometric parameters in my study can be used as floating norms for the Malwa population.