Abstract
In order to investigate the metrical definitions of the craniofacial skeleton, lateral cephalographs were defined by 120, 351 or 14,535 linear dimensions. When these dimensions were combined together by multivariate statistical techniques, the degree of discrimination between normo-, micro- and macro-cephalics was found to vary, depending upon the actual metric craniofacial definition included in the analyses. This study therefore indicated the need for further research before definitive comparisons of lateral cephalographs can be formalized.