Racial norms: esthetic and prosthodontic implications.

A review of the orthodontic literature reveals that different races have different cephalometric norms. This has great implications in the placement and arrangement of teeth and in the evaluation of esthetics in people of dissimilar ethnic origins. In the diverse American society, prosthodontists and restorative dentists need to be concerned with the phylogenetic characteristics of their patients. The resultant esthetic differences can have significant importance in the function and design of prostheses.