11h40 Facial 3D surface imaging: comparative evaluation of 3D facial soft tissue image acquisition by CBCT, 3D Vectra®, and the mobile phone EM3D® application.

Introduction: Accurate three-dimensional (3D) surface imaging plays a crucial role in 3D analysis, planning and outcome assessment of orthognathic surgery. Cone Beam Computed Tomography (CBCT) is widely recognized for its precision and serves as the gold standard for 3D surface imaging. However, CBCT lacks color and texture information, which is valuable for creating lifelike surgical models and also includes low-dose irradiation. Professional optic systems like Vectra® are commonly used to generate these color images, but they come at a high cost. Mobile phone applications offer a far more affordable alternative, making 3D imaging accessible in a wider range of settings. This study aims to compare the accuracy of 3D surface models acquired by Vectra® and a mobile phone application (EM3D®) with those obtained from CBCT.

Methods: A retrospective study includes 20 consecutive orthognathic patients in which 3D surface images were acquired by CBCT (as the gold standard), Vectra®, and a mobile phone application (EM3D®). The 3D surface models obtained from Vectra® and EM3D® will be compared to the CBCT soft tissue mask by measurement of surface-to-surface discrepancies. Dedicated software will assess the accuracy of each method by 3D point cloud comparison, relative to the gold standard.

Results: The results are expected to highlight the relative accuracy of each method, with particular attention to whether these discrepancies fall within clinically acceptable ranges.

Conclusion: The findings will evaluate whether the more accessible and cost-effective EM3D® application can serve as an affordable and reliable alternative for certain clinical applications. The study's outcomes may offer valuable insights for the broader application of mobile technology in clinical 3D soft tissue imaging.