The mesh analysis is a proportionate cephalometric analysis that enabl
es a patient to serve as his or her own control to create a template f
rom which to assess skeletal, dental, and craniofacial disharmonies. T
he norms for this analysis were originally created from a white, Europ
ean American sample. The purposes of this study were: (1) to create a
normal mesh diagram from a black, African American population; (2) to
compare mesh diagrams from black and white Americans; and (3) to evalu
ate the usefulness of a panel of diverse members in selecting subjects
. All subjects were black Americans of African descent, had no prior o
rthodontic treatment, and had Class I dental occlusion with minimal cr
owding (4 mm or less). The panel selected as esthetically pleasing 18
males and 25 females from a group of 77 patients meeting the study cri
teria. Male and female normal mesh diagrams were created from the ceph
alographs and compared with Caucasian normal diagrams developed by Moo
rrees in 1976. Linear and angular components of the hard and soft tiss
ues were compared. Comparisons were also made with previously publishe
d normal values. Differences between the African American and Caucasia
n samples were more notable close to the dentoalveolar complex. Simila
rities were limited to the soft tissue of the upper face, the cranial
base, and the midface. Analysis of the panel selection results did not
suggest any trends between or within race, sex, or occupation of the
panel members. However, agreement between the races was good.