Stereophotogrammetry-based facial depth measurements: a novel method for quantifying facial projection

Area of Science:

• Craniofacial morphology
• Anthropometry
• Medical imaging

Background:

• Orthognathic surgery alters facial projection, but traditional methods lack facial depth data.
• Stereophotogrammetry offers noninvasive facial depth evaluation, yet lacks ethnicity-specific norms.
• Current clinical practice is hindered by the absence of established ethnic reference data for facial depth.

Purpose of the Study:

• To develop an analytical scheme for facial depth assessment via stereophotogrammetry.
• To create normative facial depth data for young Hong Kong Chinese adults.
• To address the need for ethnicity-specific norms in clinical applications.

Main Methods:

• Stereophotographic images of 86 young ethnic Chinese adults (41 males, 45 females) without facial deformities were analyzed.
• Facial depth was measured using standard anthropometric landmarks with 3dMDVultus software.
• A novel analytical scheme was employed for quantifying facial depth.

Main Results:

• Males exhibited significantly higher absolute facial depth measurements compared to females.
• Females showed significantly greater upper face, maxillary, and sublabial depth indices.
• No significant gender differences were observed in lower facial and maxillomandibular depth indices.

Conclusions:

• A new method for quantifying facial depth using stereophotography was successfully evaluated.
• Normative, gender-specific facial depth measurements for young Hong Kong Chinese adults were established.
• The generated database serves as a valuable reference for diagnosis, treatment planning, and outcome evaluation in craniofacial surgery.