The treatment of skeletal disharmonies presents better results when performed during the growth period. The physical changes that occur in every individual express growth, which is ruled by genetic, general and environmental factors. In order to identify such disharmonies and hence concentrate the clinical actions during treatment and influence facial growth, cephalometrics appears as a useful a diagnostic tool for identifying facial growth patterns or growth direction. Jarabak's cephalometric analysis is used to assess facial growth pattern of subjects with normal occlusion or malocclusions. The purpose of this study was to obtain mean values for cephalometric measurements from Jarabak's cephalometric analyses of black Brazilian subjects resident in the city of Piracicaba, São Paulo state, Brazil and vicinities, who presented Class I molar relationship with normal overjet and overbite, mild or no tooth crowding or spacing, and no history of orthodontic treatment. A sample of 37 stone plaster casts and 37 lateral teleradiographs from both male and female individuals aged 10 to 14 years was evaluated. Data were analyzed statistically by Student's t-test at 5% significance level. There was no significant differences between genders. The cephalometric measurements obtained in this study were similar to the Jarabak's standards, except for S-N mean value in females (66.50 mm ± 3.16), which was significantly lower than the standard.
cephalometrics; Orthodontics; African continental ancestry group
