Symphyseal angle: an angle to determine skeletal pattern using panoramic radiographs

Abstract

The aim of this article is to derive an angle using panoramic radiographs which is as reliable as lateral cephalometric norms in determining the skeletal growth pattern. The sample size consisted of 60 OPGs of patients with normodivergent growth pattern evaluated from cephalometric radiographs. The mean Symphyseal Angle (SA) obtained was 134.1 ± 2.1 and correlation tests showed high, negative and statistically significant correlation for both Basal Plane Angle (BPA) 1 and Frankfurt Mandibular Plane Angle (FMA) (p = 0.0063) and a positive correlation was shown with the Jarabak Ratio (JR) 2 (p = 0.032). The Symphyseal Angle derived was helpful in determining the skeletal pattern of the craniofacial structure. Clinical Relevance: This paper demonstrates the use of the Symphyseal Angle to determine skeletal growth pattern using panoramic radiographs.