Joo Ming CHEONG, Norilham Shafiq Bin ABDUL RAHIM, Siti Nurul Ainina Binti MOHD SAHRUM, Ahmad Badruddin Bin GHAZALI, Mohamad Shafiq Bin MOHD IBRAHIM
Cumhuriyet Dental Journal - 2026;29(1):16-25
Objectives: To establish cephalometric norms for various nasal parameters in skeletal normodivergent Malaysian Malay adult females, and to compare nasal parameter differences across normo-, hypo-, and hyperdivergent vertical skeletal dimensions. Materials and Methods: This retrospective study analysed 156 pre-orthodontic lateral cephalometric radiographs of skeletal Class I Malay females aged 18 to 30 years (mean age = 24.12 +/- 3.38). Cephalograms were categorised into normodivergent (MMPA: 24.8 derece +/- 6.7 derece), hypodivergent (<18.1 derece), and hyperdivergent (>31.5 derece). Sixteen nasal parameters were manually traced, comprising nine linear and seven angular parameters. One-way ANOVA with Bonferroni post-hoc test (p < 0.05) was used to compare mean nasal parameters across the three vertical skeletal groups. Results: ICC analysis demonstrated excellent intra- and inter-examiner reliability (0.93 and 0.91, respectively). No significant differences were observed in linear nasal parameters across all groups except nasal depth 2 (p = 0.02) which was significantly greater in normodivergent than hyperdivergent group. No significant differences were found in angular nasal parameters. Conclusions: Nasal cephalometric norms in normodivergent Malaysian Malay female were established, providing an essential reference data for nasal assessment. Nasal depth 2 varied significantly across groups, suggesting that vertical skeletal pattern can influence this specific nasal variable, which is crucial for improving orthodontic and surgical treatment planning in the Malay population.
