Table 1.
Cephalometric points and planes identified on each lateral cephalograph. All points represent midline structures except where noted.
| Trait | Abbreviation | Description |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Anterior Nasal Spine | ANS | Tip of the anterior nasal spine |
| 2. Articulare | Ar | The intersection of the image of the posterior border of the ramus with the external surface of the basicranium |
| 3. Basion | Ba | The anterior margin of the foramen magnum |
| 4. Canine Tip | A3, B3 | Tip of canine (upper and lower respectively) |
| 5. Center of Condyle | Dc | Intersection point between the condyle axis (Xi-Cd) and the Ba-N plane. |
| 6. Center of Face | CF* | Posterior most point of the pterygomaxillary fissure |
| 7. Center of Mandible | Xi* | Point halfway from the height and depth of the mandibular ramus |
| 8. Cephalometric Gonion | Goc* | Intersection of tangent to the posterior and inferior borders of the mandible |
| 9. Cranial Centris | CC | The intersection of the facial axis and Ba-N plane |
| 10. Distal Molar | A6, B6 | Distal margin of first molar (upper and lower respectively) |
| 11. Facial Plane | FP | Line connecting nasion and pogonion |
| 12. Frankfort Horizontal | FH* | Plane defined by right and left porion and left orbitale |
| 13. Gnathion | Gn | The lowest, most anterior point on the mandibular symphysis |
| 14. Gonion | Go* | The external angle of the mandible |
| 15. Incisor Tip | A1, B1 | Tip of central incisor (upper and lower respectively) |
| 16. Lower Lip | LL | Vermillion border of lower lip |
| 17. Mental Protuberance | Pm | Point of inflection of the curvature at the profile of the chin (aka Suprapogonion) |
| 18. Menton | Me | The most inferior point on the mandibular symphysis |
| 19. Nasal Tip | NT | Most anterior point of the nose (soft tissue) |
| 20. Nasale Medium Columella | NM | The fleshy lower margin of the nasal septum (soft tissue) |
| 21. Nasion | N | The intersection of the nasal and frontal bones |
| 22. Orbitale | Or* | Inferior most point of the orbit |
| 23. Palatal Plane | ANS-PNS | Line connecting ANS and PNS |
| 24. Pogonion | Pog | The most anterior point of the mandibular symphysis |
| 25. Point A | Pt. A | Point in the median sagittal plane where the lower front edge of the anterior nasal spine meets the front wall of the maxillary alveolar process (aka subspinale). |
| 26. Point B | Pt. B | Deepest midline point on the mandible between infradentale and pogonion (aka supramentale). |
| 27. Point D | D | The center of the cross section of the mandibular symphysis |
| 28. Porion | Po* | Superior margin of external auditory canal |
| 29. Posterior Condyle | PCd* | The point of the condyle tangent to a perpendicular line extending from the S-N plane |
| 30. Posterior Nasal Spine | PNS | The posterior point of the hard palate |
| 31. Pterygomaxillary Fissure Inferior | PTM* | Teardrop shaped area between maxilla and pterygoid process of the sphenoid |
| 32. Sella | S | The pituitary fossa of the sphenoid bone |
| 33. Soft Tissue Pogonion | Pog(st) | The most anterior point of the chin (soft tissue) |
| 34. Sphenoethmoidal Suture | Se | Point identifying the sphenoethmoidal suture |
| 35. Stomion Superior | Sts | Lowest point of the vermillion border of upper lip (soft tissue) |
| 36. X### | Points defined along the endocranial surface of the neurocranium relative to the S-N plane (e.g., X100 = the point at which a line drawn 100° from the S-N plane intersects the endocranium). |
*
Points not on midline of the skull.