On the growth of the mandible

Abstract

In a cross-sectional cephalometric study of over 800 normal white American children we show that the average ANB angle is roughly twice as large as the currently employed norms for that variable. The angle is relatively the same in females from 6 to 20 years of age, but there is a definite tendency for older males to exhibit a smaller ANB angle. The dynamics of this decrease is essentially the fact that, in the male, the mandible continues to grow steadily (relative to the maxilla and nasion) throughout much of the postpuberal stage, whereas this tendency is not exhibited in the female.