N asal I ntegument as an I ndicator of M axillary S keletal P attern

Objectives: 1.To investigate the relationship between nasal morphology in relation to sagittal and vertical maxillary skeletal pattern and 2.To know the relationship between the degree of upturn of the nose and the inclination of the palatal plane. Materials and Methods: Pretreatment lateral cephalograms of 60 adults of age 18-27 years with no previous history of trauma, surgical intervention, and congenital disease are obtained from records of the department of Orthodontics and Dentofacial Orthopedics, G. Pulla Reddy Dental College, kurnool.10 facial skeletal parameters and 6 nasal parameters were measured on lateral cephalograms. Pearson correlation analysis was used for statistical analysis. Results: Facial heights, lengths, and the anteroposterior/vertical position of the maxilla were found to be correlated to nasal length and form. Nasal length is significantly positively correlated with anterior maxillary height (r= 0.436, P<0.005) and inclination of the palatal plane (r=.344, P<0.03). Nasal length is significantly positively correlated with maxillary length(r=0.39, P<0.012). Upward nasal tip inclination showed a significant negative correlation with an inclination of the palatal plane(r =-0.345, p <0.018). Conclusion: The clinical significance of this study is that Nasal length, prominence, and form are associated with height and length of the maxilla. Nasolabial angle in itself may not indicate a mid face vertical discrepancy; however its upper component, with decreased nasal length in an adult subject may indicate an underlying change in inclination of the palatal plane. This might be of value during orthodontic diagnosis and treatment planning.