OBJECTIVE: The objective of this study was to determine alternative ratios of soft-to-hard tissue movement after mandibular setback, taking skeletal relapse and differing patterns of facial divergence into account. STUDY DESIGN: Thirty patients were analyzed cephalometrically over a mean follow-up period of 14 months. RESULTS: The relationship between skeletal and soft tissue movements in the mentolabial folds and at the pogonion was 1:1. Final skeletal relapse was 0.8 mm at the B-point and 0.5 mm at the pogonion. Hence, the alternative ratios were 81% and 68%, respectively. The alternative ratio for the mentolabial sulcus was considerably lower in the low- than in the high- and medium-angle groups of patients. However, there was no statistically significant difference between the patient groups with different facial patterns. CONCLUSION: When the smallness of the measured relapse and the tracing error are taken into account, the difference between the alternative and the conventional ratios was insignificant.
OBJECTIVE: The objective of this study was to determine alternative ratios of soft-to-hard tissue movement after mandibular setback, taking skeletal relapse and differing patterns of facial divergence into account. STUDY DESIGN: Thirty patients were analyzed cephalometrically over a mean follow-up period of 14 months. RESULTS: The relationship between skeletal and soft tissue movements in the mentolabial folds and at the pogonion was 1:1. Final skeletal relapse was 0.8 mm at the B-point and 0.5 mm at the pogonion. Hence, the alternative ratios were 81% and 68%, respectively. The alternative ratio for the mentolabial sulcus was considerably lower in the low- than in the high- and medium-angle groups of patients. However, there was no statistically significant difference between the patient groups with different facial patterns. CONCLUSION: When the smallness of the measured relapse and the tracing error are taken into account, the difference between the alternative and the conventional ratios was insignificant.