Search

Radiocephalometric analysis, based mainly on the foramina of the trigeminal nerve branches, was applied to three samples of adults, two representing fairly extreme profile types, the third representing "normal" dentofacial build. The aim of the study was to find out whether the analytical method could be used to differentiate between facial types. It appeared that some elements of the method had diagnostic powers, and could substitute for traditional methods. Many dimensions inspected, however, were fairly similar in all facial types, thus suggesting a general basic role of the trigeminal nerve in relation to craniofacial structure. Generally speaking, the foraminal pattern was relatively stable in "normal" faces, but more variable in deviant faces.

The variability of the craniofacial skeleton of the juvenile Macaca mulatta was studied from lateral radiographic cephalograms of twenty-three animals, using a previously described method based on fourteen lines depicting certain anatomic features. The findings, when compared to corresponding human data, revealed that a number of angular relationships are similar in this monkey and in human childrena and adults. The same is true regarding the variability of individual lines. These similarities suggest that biologic similarities exist in the cranio-facial skeletal architecture in these species. Specifically, the findings in the Macaca mulatta were in agreement with previous findings in human children and adults as regards the parallelism between the anterior parts of the neurovascular canals of the upper and lower jaws and the apparently adaptive role of the ramus and the condyle.