Can we use Caucasians norms on Pakistani population?

Abstract

Introduction: Most Orthodontists use Cephalometric norms for orthodontic diagnosis. The Caucasian norms are used for the said purpose. It is often hypothesized that norms valid for one particular population are not applicable to another population. Hence this study was devised to establish cephalometric norms for Pakistani adult population and to find out the difference between the Pakistani and Caucasian norms.

Material and Methods: 250 Cephalograms were analyzed for linier and angular measurements. The sample was derived from two different cities of Pakistan so that it represents the entire Pakistani population. Mean and standard deviations was derived for all variables. Student t-test was applied to evaluate the difference of values between males and females. Unpaired t-test was used to evaluate the difference of means between Pakistani and Caucasians populations.

Results: No statistically significant difference was found between Pakistani males and females. Statistically significant differences were found between the two populations.

Conclusions: For years, Caucasian norms were used for diagnosis in Pakistani population. The differences found in this study indicated the need to use population-specific norms for orthodontic diagnosis and treatment planning.