Objectives:To determine the validity of 3dMD Vultus in predicting soft tissue morphology following orthognathic surgery. Methods:Thirteen patients with a skeletal discrepancy that required surgical correction limited to a Le Fort I surgical advancement osteotomy were included within the study. These patients had previously undergone a CBCT scan immediately before surgery (T1) and 6 months after surgery (T2).To permit validation, hard and soft tissues were linked for each time point and the hard tissues superimposed on the cranial vault and base. Using 3dMD Vultus virtual surgery was carried out to position the mandible and maxilla at T1 to the post-surgical position at T2. The resulting 3D soft tissue prediction mesh was then compared to the actual soft tissue mesh at T2 by segmenting both meshes at distinct anatomically areas of the face. The absolute distance between meshes for each region was then calculated using a custom developed computer program.

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Radiographic Cephalometry: From Basics to 3-D Imaging 2nd edn. Edited by Alexander Jacobson and Richard L Jacobson. Chicago: Quintessence Publishing Co Inc, 2006. (320 pp. h/b, £65.00). ISBN 0-86715-461-6.

An Introduction to Orthodontics 3rd edn. By Laura Mitchell. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2007. (£42.99). ISBN 978-0-19-856812-4.