Agreement Between Panoramic and Lateral Cephalometric Radiographs for Measuring the Gonial Angle

BACKGROUND: The gonial angle is one of the most important measurements required for orthodontic treatment and orthognathic surgery. It is difficult to determine the accurate measurement of each gonial angle on cephalometric radiographs because of superimposition of the left and right angles. OBJECTIVES: The aim of the present study was to determine the right and left gonial angles on panoramic radiographs and to compare them with an evaluated cephalometric sample. PATIENTS AND METHODS: A total of 80 panoramic and 80 cephalometric radiographs were obtained from 6 to 12-year-old children and the gonial angle was determined by the tangent of the inferior border of the mandible and the most distal aspect of the ascending ramus and the condyleon both panoramic and cephalometric radiographs. We used Pearson's correlation coefficient and paired t-test for comparison. RESULTS: The mean gonial angle was 127.07 ± 6.10 and 127.5 ± 6.67 degrees on panoramic and cephalometric radiographs, respectively. There was no statistically significant difference between the measured gonial angles on panoramic and cephalometric radiographs and also no difference between the right and left (both Ps = 0.18) CONCLUSION: The value of the gonial angle measured on panoramic radiography was the same as that measured on the routinely used cephalometric radiography.