Photographic Profile Analysis in Preschool Children of Thiruvananthapuram, Kerala

Abstract

Aim: The purpose of the study is to establish baseline normative data regarding facial soft tissue profile measurements in preschool children of Thiruvananthapuram. Materials and methods: The present study was a cross-sectional study conducted at the Department of Pedodontics, Government Dental College, Thiruvanthapuram. Two hundred fifty children of 3 to 5 years of age reporting at the outpatient department with complete primary dentition and flush terminal plane molar relation were the sampling unit. Children with mixed dentition, with the a presence of proximal caries and any oral habit and maxillofacial trauma/pathology/developmental defects, were not included in the study. The level of significance for the study was set as p < 0.05. Results: Mean values of the study variable with standard deviation obtained with a narrow range of 95% the confidence interval indicated higher accuracy of the study. Conclusion: The values obtained in the study can be used as a reference for an initial orthodontic evaluation of a child during the early mixed dentition period. The study will help in predicting the direction of growth of the dentofacial region, its effect on facial parameters, and, hence, the treatment plan can be modified accordingly. The study will serve as the reference study for further studies with molar plane relation other than FTP.