Abstract: Objective: To develop a new type of soft tissue measuring ruler to facilitate obtaining the natural head position. Methods: Through repeated research and experiment, a soft tissue measuring ruler was designed to assist in obtaining natural head position. It was compared with traditional computer measurement methods to observe its accuracy. 30 clinical patients were randomly selected, and some soft tissue indexes were measured using the measuring ruler. Soft tissue measurements were also taken on the patient's lateral phase using Winceph 9.0 software. Differences between the two measurement methods were compared. Results: There was no significant difference between two measurement methods (P＞0.05). However, when measuring the same data, the measuring time of the new ruler was much smaller than that with computer (P＜0.05). Conclusion: The soft tissue measuring ruler which assists obtaining natural head position can accurately measure various soft tissue indexes and incisor position, and it is more time-saving and convenient for clinicians.

Key words: natural head position, true vertical line, soft tissue measurement