Three-dimensional prediction of the nose for facial reconstruction using cone-beam computed tomography

The identification of interrelationship between the hard and soft tissues of the face is mandatory for facial reconstruction. The aim of this study was to investigate the relationship between the hard and soft dimensions of the nose and to predict the position of the nose using cone-beam computed tomography (CBCT) scans obtained from 60 adults. Three-dimensional placements of the nasal soft structures (pronasale, subnasale, ala) from the nasal hard structures (nasal bone, nasal cavity) were measured in order to compute the regression equations to find the most probable position of the pronasale, subnasale, and ala. The positions of the pronasale, subnasale, and ala can be predicted using the regression models. These results suggest that hard and soft tissue relation data from CBCT can be useful for predicting the position of nose.