The occlusal plane in the facial context: inter-operator repeatability of a new three-dimensional method

Abstract

A method for imaging facial structures in 3D, without harmful X-rays, has been successfully demonstrated by researchers in Italy. By merging data from stereophotographic images of individual faces with laser scanning information from dental casts, Chiarella Sforza and colleagues at the Universita` degli Studi di Milano accurately determined the orientation of the occlusal plane—where the upper and lower teeth make contact. Two different operators repeated the process in 20 adult volunteers with errors generally less than 1 millimeter. This non-invasive type of imaging, although still technical and expensive, avoids the potential dangers of radiographic techniques such as X-rays and CT scanning. The technique could eventually prove useful for basic dental diagnoses and treatments, monitoring growth in children or even researching healthy volunteers to assess biological variability among populations.

Keywords

healthy subjects / occlusal plane / stereophotogrammetry / three-dimensional analysis

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