Assessment of cephalometric characteristics in the elderly

Abstract

This cross-sectional study aimed at assessing the cephalometriccharacteristics in the elderly, taking into account differences betweengenders, age ranges, ethnic groups and dental aspects. The sampleconsisted of 250 elderly subjects of both genders (163 female, mean age:68 yr.; 87 male: 70.4 yr.). Conventional lateral cephalograms for cephalometricanalysis were scanned and analyzed by Dolphin Imaging software 11.5.The statistical treatment of the data evaluated the influence of gender andage range variables (independent t test), as well as ethnic group, facialprofile, and dental characteristics (one‑way ANOVA), on cephalometricmeasurements. A confidence interval of 95% and level of significance of5% were considered for all the tests performed. The results revealed: 1) Thecephalometric measurements evaluated showed significantly lower valuesfor the female gender; 2) a significant decrease in the cephalometric valueswas observed in relation to the growth pattern, with the advancement of age;3) significant cephalometric differences were observed between the ethnicgroups and the facial profiles; 3) dentulous patients had greater absolutevalues for all the components evaluated, followed by the individualswith partial dental losses and by those who were edentulous. It may beconcluded that the cephalometric alterations observed in this study areinherent to facial maturity, and that they represent specific characteristicsregarding each of the variables evaluated. These modifications must betaken into account when planning the treatment for younger patients, tominimize the modifications arising from the natural aging process