Department of Orthodontics, Peking University School and Hospital of Stomatology & National Center of Stomatology, Beijing, China; National Clinical Research Center for Oral Diseases & National Engineering Research Center of Oral Biomaterials and Digital Medical Devices, Beijing, China; Beijing Key Laboratory of Digital Stomatology, Beijing, China
Ming-Jin Zhang
Department of Orthodontics, Peking University School and Hospital of Stomatology & National Center of Stomatology, Beijing, China; National Clinical Research Center for Oral Diseases & National Engineering Research Center of Oral Biomaterials and Digital Medical Devices, Beijing, China; Beijing Key Laboratory of Digital Stomatology, Beijing, China
Ao-Nan Wen
National Clinical Research Center for Oral Diseases & National Engineering Research Center of Oral Biomaterials and Digital Medical Devices, Beijing, China; Beijing Key Laboratory of Digital Stomatology, Beijing, China; Center of Digital Dentistry/Department of Prosthodontics, Peking University School and Hospital of Stomatology, Beijing, China; National Center of Stomatology, Beijing, China; Research Center of Engineering and Technology for Computerized Dentistry Ministry of Health, Beijing, China
Shuo Wang
Department of Orthodontics, Peking University School and Hospital of Stomatology & National Center of Stomatology, Beijing, China; National Clinical Research Center for Oral Diseases & National Engineering Research Center of Oral Biomaterials and Digital Medical Devices, Beijing, China; Beijing Key Laboratory of Digital Stomatology, Beijing, China
Yi-Jiao Zhao
National Clinical Research Center for Oral Diseases & National Engineering Research Center of Oral Biomaterials and Digital Medical Devices, Beijing, China; Beijing Key Laboratory of Digital Stomatology, Beijing, China; Center of Digital Dentistry/Department of Prosthodontics, Peking University School and Hospital of Stomatology, Beijing, China; National Center of Stomatology, Beijing, China; Research Center of Engineering and Technology for Computerized Dentistry Ministry of Health, Beijing, China
Yong wang
National Clinical Research Center for Oral Diseases & National Engineering Research Center of Oral Biomaterials and Digital Medical Devices, Beijing, China; Beijing Key Laboratory of Digital Stomatology, Beijing, China; Center of Digital Dentistry/Department of Prosthodontics, Peking University School and Hospital of Stomatology, Beijing, China; National Center of Stomatology, Beijing, China; Research Center of Engineering and Technology for Computerized Dentistry Ministry of Health, Beijing, China
Ting-Ting Yu
Department of Orthodontics, Peking University School and Hospital of Stomatology & National Center of Stomatology, Beijing, China; National Clinical Research Center for Oral Diseases & National Engineering Research Center of Oral Biomaterials and Digital Medical Devices, Beijing, China; Beijing Key Laboratory of Digital Stomatology, Beijing, China
Dawei Liu
Department of Orthodontics, Peking University School and Hospital of Stomatology & National Center of Stomatology, Beijing, China; National Clinical Research Center for Oral Diseases & National Engineering Research Center of Oral Biomaterials and Digital Medical Devices, Beijing, China; Beijing Key Laboratory of Digital Stomatology, Beijing, China; Corresponding author. Department of Orthodontics, Peking University School and Hospital of Stomatology, 22# Zhongguancun South Avenue, Haidian District, Beijing 100081, China.
Objectives: Facial asymmetry is a common problem seen in orthodontic clinics that may affect patient esthetics. In some instances, severe asymmetry that affects patient esthetics may cause psychological issues. An objective method is therefore required to help orthodontists identify asymmetry issues. Materials and methods: We used three-dimensional (3D) facial images and landmark-based anthropometric analysis to construct a 3D facial mask to evaluate asymmetry. The landmark coordinates were transformed using a symmetric 3D face model to evaluate the efficacy of this method. Patients with facial asymmetry were recruited to conduct mirror and overlap analysis to form color maps, which were used to verify the utility of the novel soft tissue landmark-based method. Results: The preliminary results demonstrated that the asymmetry evaluation method had a similar response rate compared to diagnosis using mirror and overlap 3D images, and could therefore identify 3D asymmetry problems. Conclusions: By using 3D facial scans and 3D anthropometric analysis, we developed a preliminary evaluation method that provides objective parameters to clinically evaluate patient facial asymmetry and aid in the diagnosis of asymmetric areas. Clinical relevance: This study presents a novel facial asymmetry diagnostic method that has the potential to aid clinical decisions during problem identification, treatment planning, and efficacy evaluation.
