Abstract
INTRODUCTION: Gonial angle is an important craniofacial parameter providing information about symmetry and vertical dimensions of the facial skeleton. It can be measured on panoramic radiographs and lateral cephalograms. Reliable assessment of the gonial angle is challenged by the superimpositions associated with lateral cephalograms. The aim of the current study was to assess the precision of panoramic imaging in measuring the gonial angles compared to lateral cephalograms in adult patients with different mandibular divergence patterns. METHODS: Panoramic radiographs and lateral cephalograms of 448 adults (18-30 years old) were utilized in the study. The gonial angle was determined on the lateral cephalograms using an online AI-driven assessment tool (WebCeph(TM)) and compared to the panoramic measurements among the different gender, malocclusion, and mandibular divergence groups. RESULTS: Statistically significant differences were recorded between measurements taken on lateral cephalograms or panoramic radiographs (p=0.022). In addition, statistically significant differences were reported in gonial angle measurements on panoramic radiographs among the different mandibular divergence groups (p=0.004) for FMA (p=0.002) for Sn-GoMe. CONCLUSION: While cephalometry is considered the gold standard tool for reliable gonial angle assessment, panoramic radiographs were more accurate in detecting the differences between the divergence groups in the current study.