A 3-dimensional method for analyzing facial soft-tissue morphology of patients with jaw deformities

Introduction: Traditional cephalometric radiographs can analyze facial soft-tissues 2 dimensionally. Because they cannot provide information about the nose, lips, cheeks, and mouth, another method is needed to analyze these soft tissues. We introduce a new method for analyzing the 3-dimensional (3D) shape and size of facial soft-tissue morphology. Methods: A 3D average face model was constructed based on 3D computed tomography images of Japanese male and female adult volunteers who had well-balanced faces and normal occlusions. To test the feasibility of evaluating the quantitative effects of surgery, preoperative and postoperative 3D computed tomography images of facial soft tissues of 1 man and 1 woman were superimposed on the average faces. Results: This quantitative assessment provided a comprehensive evaluation of the characteristics that separate size and shape. It was possible to view the superimposed images from any desired angle on a personal computer. Conclusions: This method provides easy-to-understand information for patients and appears to be useful for clinical diagnosis and pretreatment and posttreatment soft-tissue morphologic evaluations of patients with jaw deformities.