A LONGITUDINAL CEPHALOMETRIC STUDY OF TRANSVERSE AND VERTICAL CRANIOFACIAL GROWTH

Longitudinal growth changes were studied from posteroanterior cephalom etric radiographs of 25 male subjects from 4 to 25 years of age and 25 female subjects from 4 to 20 years of age who had Class I skeletal an d dental patterns. Growth for males continued past age 18 years for al l skeletal measurements, except for maxillary width. Growth for female s was completed by 17 years for all skeletal measurements. At 6 years of age the transverse measurements had a greater percentage of the adu lt size completed than vertical measurements for both males and female s. Gender differences at age 6 years were in the mean widths for the c ranium, face, and maxilla. At age 12 years the differences were in cra nial width, maxillary width, and maxillary and mandibular intermolar w idth (6-6). There were gender differences at age 18 years for all the variables, except for nasal width and mandibular intermolar width (6-6 ). Regression lines provided strong-to-moderate predictive equations t o determine the size of most of the measurements at age 18 years, if t he value at age 6 years is known.