Objective The purpose of this study is to assess the height and width of mandibular cross-sections and the thickness of cortical bone for young females in different vertical skeletal pattern by cone beam CT（CBCT） and determine the characteristics and differences of mandible among different vertical skeletal patterns. Methods A total of 64 females, aged from 19 to 40 years old, were enrolled from Department of Orthodontics of School of Stomatology of Shandong University. After examination with CBCT scan, they were divided into 3 groups according to the vertical skeletal patterns（14 in low-angle group, 31 in average-angle group and 19 in high-angle group）. The mandibular morphology was evaluated according to the height and width of the mandibular cross-sections and the thickness of cortices. SPSS 16.0 was used to analyze the characteristics and differences of mandible among different vertical skeletal patterns. Results The height of symphysis in the high-angle group was higher than that in the low-angle group, but the height of molars in the low-angle group was higher than that in the high-angle group（P
