Abstract
Adulthood is a developmental stage determined from a conventional concept of the ‘grown up’ individual, without a biologically defined initial point. In the Swedish population, adulthood can be considered to have been reached by 18–20 years of age, somewhat earlier on the average for women than for men. At this age the growth curves of several dimensions have reached a plateau. However, many investigations of skull growth have demonstrated continuous dimensional changes up to considerably advanced ages. In this investigation, growth changes in the adult face were longitudinally recorded from 24 to 34 years of age. 27 skeletal and six soft tissue variables were studied. The findings indicated that the major part of the changes of the bony profile were due to posterior mandibular rotation and an adjustment of the upper incisors to the new lower jaw position. In the soft tissues, a forward growth of the nose and retrusion of the lips was recorded.
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