Midsagittal facial tissue thicknesses of children and adolescents from theMontreal growth study

Knowledge of changes in soft tissue depths during growth and development is important in applied contexts of forensics and dentistry as well as in gro wth research. In forensics, applications include facial reproductions, vide o superimpositions, and child aging/progressions. Garlie and Saunders (1): recently published radiographic data from the Burlington Canadian growth st udy; here, we present data from a mixed longitudinal sample of French-Canad ian children and adolescents. Females (N = 159) range in age from 6 to 18 y ears; males (N = 129), from 6 to 19 years. Cephalometric measurements inclu de nine soft tissue thicknesses, two hard tissue distances (sella-nasion an d nasion-menton), and three measures, of nasal projection. Several tissue t hicknesses are moderately correlated with one another. The majority of thic knesses show significant sex differences by the time of adolescence; nasion and upper labial thicknesses are significantly different by sex at all age s, from 6 to 18, years, as are the two hard tissue distances. However, thic kness at nasion, as well as at glabella, changes little over time. Thicknes s at pogonion is variable and differs, most between males and females at ag e 16; the length of the anterior inferior portion of the nose is, significa ntly different between the ages of 6 and 12. Measurements display small and slow changes during development. The. greatest average change per year (c. 2 mm/yr) is for a bard tissue measure, nasion-menton. The nasal and mid-ph iltrum regions have greater age changes than do other soft tissue variables . Much of the variation remains unexplained by changes with age or differen ces between sexes.