Evaluation of facial soft-tissue values and craniofacial morphology in obese adolescent patients with different skeletal classes

The purpose of this study was to evaluate the facial soft tissue and craniofacial morphological structures in adolescent obese individuals with different skeletal patterns. The study was carried out on 292 adolescents examined under three groups based on their body mass indexes (BMIs) as obese, healthy, and overweight. The subjects were also categorized based on skeletal classes as Class I, Class II, and Class III. The glabella, nasion, labiale inferius, labiomentale, and pogonion values of the female patients were significantly higher in obese group. In the obese and overweight groups, effective midfacial and mandibular length, anterior and posterior facial heights, and SN values of the females were higher than males. In the obese group, the mean effective midfacial and mandibular length (Co-A and Co-Gn), anterior and posterior facial heights (S-Go and N-Me), and anterior cranial base (SN) values were significantly higher than other groups. Soft-tissue thicknesses increase as BMI value increases. Craniofacial morphology reveals significant differences between BMI groups.