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Abstract

Introduction: Facial appearance is a prime consideration when planning orthodontic treatment. Studies have been conducted to know the ratio of orthodontic extraction in different communities. The objective of this cross-sectional study was to evaluate the decision frequency of profile based extractions, negating other parameters for doing so at Department of Orthodontics, Islamabad Dentals Hospital, Bhara Kahu, Islamabad. Material and Methods: One hundred thirty five patients were randomly selected from the diagnostic database fulfilling the inclusion criteria. These records included history, lateral cephalogram and casts for each patient. Results: 41.5% of the total sample was treated with extraction protocol where as 58.5% was treated non-extraction. Profile based distribution of the sample were; 57% convex, 41.5% straight and 1.5% with concave profiles. Out of 41.5% extraction cases, 67% extraction decisions were carried out on the basis of profile and 32.1% on arch length discrepancy as a predominant factor. Conclusion: There was high percentage of patients having convex and straight profile and more than half of the extraction decisions were based on profile. Arch length discrepancy was the second most important decision influencing extraction protocol decision. Hence in accordance to the ‘soft tissue paradigm’ such a decision during the treatment planning should be paramount in making treatment decisions.