Reproducibility of natural head position in profile photographs of children aged 8 to 12 years with and without the aid of a cephalostat

Objectives: The present study assessed the reproducibility of the natural head position (NHP) in children. Methods: Twenty-five children (12 females and 13 males) aged 8 to 12 years (patients at the School of Dentistry of the Universidade Estadual de Maringá PR, Brazil) were photographed. Photographs were taken in the NHP using a digital camera with and without the aid of a cephalostat. A vertical line (VL) was used as reference for the measurements. The photographs were taken again after a 15-day interval using the same protocol. Reproducibility of the NHP between both photograph sessions was evaluated using an angular measurement between the reference vertical line and a profile line passing through the soft pogonion and the upper lip point. Results and Conclusion: Although positional variations have suggested that patients in this age group should receive additional orientation on NHP photographs, there were no significant differences in the NHP within a 15-day interval with or without the aid of a cephalostat. The NHP proved to be a method with good reproducibility in children.