Determination of Holdaway soft tissue norms for the North Indian population based on panel perception of facial esthetics

IntroductionThe purpose of this study was to determine Holdaway soft tissue norms for the North Indian population based on panel perception of facial esthetics.Material and method90 individuals (45 males and 45 females) from the North Indian population with normal anteroposterior and vertical skeletal relationships on analysis of lateral cephalometric radiographs were selected for the study. The landmarks were located according to the definitions of Holdaway. Ten linear and two angular measurements were analysed on each radiograph. For each variable, the arithmetic mean and standard deviation were calculated. For statistical evaluation, an independent-samples t test was performed.ResultsExcept for the measurements of soft tissue chin thickness, H angle and nose prominence all soft tissue measurements were similar to Holdaway norms. For upper lip thickness, soft tissue chin thickness, skeletal profile convexity and basic upper lip thickness measurements, statistically significant sex differences were determined.ConclusionsBased on this study, new soft tissue norms are established for orthodontic and surgical diagnosis and treatment planning.