THREE-DIMENSIONAL FACIAL ANTHROPOMETRY

The use of 3D surface technology is progressively increasing in health clinics and research centers. Methods of capturing 3D facial surface may obtain more imaging information providing a reliable and fast analysis. Stereophotogrammetry is a promising method of soft-tissue evaluation that allows reliable analysis of craniofacial deformities, providing fundamental parameters to plan and evaluate dental treatments and maxillofacial surgery, so improving the multi-disciplinary and multi-species studies of genotype–phenotype correlations through simple and precise measurements. In the current study, photogrammetry/stereophotogrammetry systems were used to evaluate soft-tissue facial morphology and dental casts. Three-dimensional images were collected and rebuilt in 3D, using software for rendering images to establish, analyze and compare morphology features of craniofacial structures, and to assess the usage and limitations of these devices. The use and investigation of this system were divided in 4 studies: 1) A photographic system for the three-dimensional study of facial morphology; 2) Accuracy and reproducibility of a 3D stereophotogrammetry imaging system; 3) Digital dental cast placement in 3-dimensional, full-face reconstruction: A technical evaluation and 4) Unilateral Cleft Lip and Palate (UCLP): a 3D evaluation. The current studies found the used 3D image systems both accurate and repeatable. The 3D devices and the methods analyzed in these studies could therefore be usefully used for clinical analysis in maxillofacial, plastic and esthetic surgery, as well as in all dental fields. The 3D stereophotogrammetric systems have several advantages over direct anthropometry and gradually are becoming into more accessible cost, replacing classical methods to quantify surface topography.