TABLE 1.
Cephalometric points and planes identified on each lateral cephalograph
| Trait | Abbreviation | Description |
|---|---|---|
| Anterior nasal spine | ANS | Tip of the anterior nasal spine |
| Articulare | Ar | The intersection of the image of the posterior border of the ramus with the external surface of the basicranium |
| Basion | Ba | The anterior margin of the foramen magnum |
| Canine tip | A3, B3 | Tip of canine (upper and lower, respectively) |
| Center of condyle | Dc | Intersection point between the condyle axis (Xi-Cd) and the Ba-N plane. |
| Center of face | CF* | Posterior most point of the pterygomaxillary fissure |
| Center of mandible | Xi* | Point halfway from the height and depth of the mandibular ramus |
| Cephalometric gonion | Goc* | Intersection of tangent to the posterior and inferior borders of the mandible |
| Cranial centris | CC | The intersection of the facial axis and Ba-N plane |
| Distal molar | A6, B6 | Distal margin of first molar (upper and lower, respectively) |
| Facial plane | FP | Line connecting nasion and pogonion |
| Frankfort horizontal | FH* | Plane defined by right and left porion and left orbitale |
| Gnathion | Gn | The lowest, most anterior point on the mandibular symphysis |
| Gonion | Go* | The external angle of the mandible |
| Incisor tip | A1, B1 | Tip of central incisor (upper and lower, respectively) |
| Lower lip | LL | Vermillion border of lower lip |
| Mental protuberance | Pm | Point of inflection of the curvature at the profile of the chin (aka suprapogonion) |
| Menton | Me | The most inferior point on the mandibular symphysis |
| Nasal tip | NT | Most anterior point of the nose (soft tissue) |
| Nasale medium columella | NM | The fleshy lower margin of the nasal septum (soft tissue) |
| Nasion | N | The intersection of the nasal and frontal bones |
| Orbitale | Or* | Inferiormost point of the orbit |
| Palatal plane | ANS-PNS | Line connecting ANS and PNS |
| Pogonion | Pog | The most anterior point of the mandibular symphysis |
| 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) |
| Point B | Pt. B | Deepest midline point on the mandible between infradentale and pogonion (aka supramentale) |
| Point D | D | The center of the cross section of the mandibular symphysis |
| Porion | Po* | Superior margin of external auditory canal |
| Posterior condyle | PCd* | The point of the condyle tangent to a perpendicular line extending from the S-N plane |
| Posterior nasal spine | PNS | The posterior point of the hard palate |
| Pterygomaxillary fissure inferior | PTM* | Teardrop shaped area between maxilla and pterygoid process of the sphenoid |
| Sella | S | The pituitary fossa of the sphenoid bone |
| Soft tissue pogonion | Pog(st) | The most anterior point of the chin (soft tissue) |
| Sphenoethmoidal suture | Se | Point identifying the sphenoethmoidal suture |
| Stomion superior | Sts | Lowest point of the vermillion border of upper lip (soft tissue) |
| 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 at 100° from the S-N plane intersects the endocranium) |
*
All points represent midline structures