ABSTRACT
<p><b>OBJECTIVE</b>To establish the differential templates of the skeletal profiles for Shanghainese with normal occlusion in early permanent dentition.</p><p><b>METHODS</b>71 lateral cephalometric radiographs of subjects with normal occlusion in early permanent dentition, aged from 11 - 15 years (37 females and 34 males) were traced. 23 skeletal landmarks were identified on the tracings, which afterwards were scanned on the computer. An x-y coordinate system was established: the tracing superimposed on sella rotated 7 degrees down from the sella-nasion line as the x axis and the vertical line through sella perpendicular to the x axis as the y axis. A special length/depth ratio was designed. The length/depth ratio of each graph were calculated. Steiner analysis was applied to check the difference between genders.</p><p><b>RESULTS</b>There was no difference between genders. The tracings were divided into three categories: short face, normal face and long face according to the mean and standard deviation of the ratio. The three types of tracings were superimposed on the x axis with sella registered. Three templates were created.</p><p><b>CONCLUSIONS</b>The differences were apparent when the three templates were superimposed.</p>