Orthodontics in 3 millennia. Chapter 8: The cephalometer takes its place in the orthodontic armamentarium.

After World War II, cephalometric radiography came into widespread use, enabling orthodontists to measure changes in tooth and jaw positions produced by growth and treatment. Cephalometrics revealed that many malocclusions resulted from faulty jaw relationships, not just malposed teeth, and made it possible to see that jaw growth could be altered by orthodontic treatment. Since 1931, a multitude of analyses have been developed, whereby the face is inscribed in triangles, rectangles, and polygons, permitting the orthodontist to dissect the profile into an array of angular and distance measurements. Those who embraced too quickly these measurements as a panacea soon learned that they are best taken with a grain of good judgment.