Related Experiment Video
Updated: Jul 11, 2026
Quantitative Assessment Protocol for Facial Soft Tissue Volumetric Changes with Stereophotogrammetry
Published on: December 9, 2025
Photographic soft-tissue profile analysis in children at 6 years of age
Francesca Romana Dimaggio1, Veronica Ciusa, Chiarella Sforza
1Functional Anatomy Research Center, Laboratorio di Anatomia Funzionale dell'Apparato Stomatognatico, Dipartimento di Morfologia Umana, Facoltà di Medicina e Chirurgia, Università degli Studi, Milano, Italy.
Introduction:
Profile photographs can be a valuable, noninvasive tool for early orthodontic diagnosis and treatment planning.
Methods:
Left-side profile photographs were obtained of 181 normal, healthy children at age 6 years. Standardized landmarks were digitized on the photographs, and several linear and angular measurements were computed. The children were divided according to dental class and sex. Comparisons were made by 2-way analyses of variance.
Results:
Facial convexity (larger in boys than in girls), Sn-N-Sl, and nasolabial and interlabial angles differed significantly (P <.01) between the sexes. Girls had significantly less labial protrusion than boys. Facial height was significantly greater in children with dental Class II, without sex differences. All analyzed angles were significantly influenced by dental class. Facial convexity was smaller in children with dental Class II. Cutaneous class was larger, and lips were more prominent in children with dental Class II than in those with dental Class III.
Conclusions:
The significant relationship between dental and cutaneous classes has important implications for orthodontic diagnosis and treatment. Dental class can usefully represent facial esthetics, and orthodontic procedures that modify dental occlusion might cause important repercussions to facial soft tissues.
