Abstract

When roentgen cephalometry was first introduced to the orthodontic profession in 1931 by Broadbent in the USA and Hofrath in Germany it was a major milestone in terms of new diagnostic tools available to orthodontists. Until that time only clinical observation and study casts of the patients had been available to the clinician but now a more in depth understanding of the facial makeup became possible. This meant that each patient’s malocclusion could now be related to their facial skeletal and dental morphology. The dentoalveolar components could now be studied in detail and better treatment plans could be developed that addressed the individual patient’s needs. This new technology, the cephalometric analysis, was initially only used to developed what is called a morphological analysis. This type of analysis primarily describes the facial makeup of an individual, so to speak, and is somewhat limited in its clinical value as a predictor of future facial development. Today there are many morphological analyses available to the clinician and most are based on individual preferences and frequently lack sufficient data base to support their use on larger groups of individuals. Unfortunately, many of the cephalometric analysis that now a days are computerized analysis offer large amounts of data which is not very helpful to the orthodontist. We shall present a simplified cephalometric analysis, that fits the practical needs for most clinicians. This so-called “Björk Morphological Analysis,” can be applied to most clinical cases. The introduction of the CBCT now several decades ago greatly improved the diagnostic possibilities for the orthodontic profession. Lateral headfilms can now be formatted from the so-called DICOM files that provide greater details and resolution of the patient’s dental and skeletal problems. We shall discuss the CBCT’s use in clinical diagnosis and the pros and cons of using this technique. Finally, we shall look at the changes of some of the most used cephalometric measurements over time as these variables change with the patient’s growth and maturity.

Recommended Citation

Nielsen, Ib Leth (2022) "Cephalometric Analysis: History and Clinical Application," Taiwanese Journal of Orthodontics: Vol. 34: Iss. 4, Article 1.
https://doi.org/10.38209/2708-2636.1323
Available at: https://www.tjo.org.tw/tjo/vol34/iss4/1