The use of 3D facial scanners in clinical oral & maxillofacial surgery

Abstract

Background: 3D facial scanners are noninvasive devices that provide precise and detailed surface capture of craniofacial structures. They include laser scanners, structured light scanners, photogrammetry, and stereophotogrammetry. 3D facial scanners have the following qualities: they can resolve structures with sub-millimeter feature size, have a high capture rate, and can capture hard and soft tissue with the original color and texture. Aim of this thesis: This paper aims to provide an up-to-date overview of literature on the use of 3D facial scanners in clinical oral and maxillofacial surgery. The different technologies (laser scanner, structured light scanner, photogrammetry and stereophotogrammetry) are explained, and their advantages, disadvantages, limitations and applications in oral and maxillofacial surgery are evaluated. Methods: A systematic literature review was performed using the scientific database PubMed. The included papers met the inclusion criteria and were assigned an Evidence Level of the Oxford Centre for Evidence-Based Medicine (=OCEBM) (2011). The papers were categorized based on their area of use to gain a better overview of the different clinical applications. Results: 220 publications were found on PubMed under the search query “facial scanner maxillofacial”. Of those 220 publications, 86 papers fit the defined inclusion criteria. 48.04% of the included documents had an evidence level of 2b, according to the OCEBM, and 36.28% had an evidence level of 3b. The identified subfields of the included publications were: “cleft lip and palate”, “facial swelling”, “postoperative outcome assessment”, “preoperative use”, “planning” “system accuracy”, “orthognathic”, “morphometric analysis”, “trauma” and “reconstruction”. Discussion: The integration of 3D facial scanners in oral and maxillofacial surgery has proven to be helpful in several clinical applications such as preoperative assessment, postoperative evaluation, surgical planning and outcome monitoring. 3D facial scanners lead to more accurate and improved patient-centered care due to their noninvasiveness, high precision and imaging speed. In preoperative planning, they enable accurate assessment of craniofacial structures, allowing virtual surgical simulations and the planning of osteotomies and fabrication of customized splints. In procedures such as cleft lip and palate corrections, trauma treatments and orthognathic procedures, they can contribute to better functional and aesthetic outcomes. Postoperative changes in facial morphology can be assessed over time, which is helpful for monitoring swelling, symmetry evaluation and observation of soft tissue changes. The accuracy of 3D facial scanners varies depending on the technology, with laser scanners, structured light scanners and stereophotogrammetry offering high levels of precision. Smartphone-based systems offer the advantage of mobility and better accessibility but are less accurate. However, scan quality is also influenced by environmental factors such as patient movements, lighting conditions and experience in operating 3D facial scanners. Although 3D facial scanners offer many advantages, they also have disadvantages in the form of high costs and complex technical handling and interoperability with existing clinical systems. It is expected that advancing research in this field and the integration of artificial intelligence will improve or even eliminate some of these limitations and lead to greater accuracy, ease of use and automation.

Datum der Bewilligung	2025
Originalsprache	Englisch
Gradverleihende Hochschule	Medizinische Universität Graz
Betreuer/-in	Markus Merkl (Betreuer*in) & Michael Schwaiger (Mitbetreuer*in)