Analysis of 109 Japanese children's lip and nose shapes using 3-dimensional digitizer

Abstract

We assessed lip and nose shapes, which played an important role in performance evaluations, before and after cleft lip and nose surgery. We used a noncontact-type semiconductor laser 3-dimensional measurement system on normal Japanese children to obtain 3-dimensional images of noses and lips, which were accurate enough to measure facial shapes. We could rotate these images on the computer, therefore we measured the following points: the distance between the peaks of the Cupid's bow and the width of the labial fissure (frontal view), and the width of the nose and the nasal tip protrusion (basal view). Lip and nose shapes were evaluated for each gender. Additionally, nasolabial angles (NLA) were measured on the lateral views of faces. We classified the morphology of the philtral columns into four types; (1) triangular type, (2) parallel type, (3) concave type, and (4) flat type. We also classified nostril shapes into four types: (1) teardrop type, (2) heart shaped type, (3) round type, and (4) triangular type. We calculated the average of the 3-dimensional coordinate values for each landmark, and created standard facial models of normal Japanese children. Moreover, we invented a new morphological evaluation method before and after cleft lip and nose surgery, using the 3-dimensional data converting and editing software. The method was more feasible to evaluate the assessment cleft lip and nose surgery, by quantifying the surface areas of right and left nostrils and the surface areas of upper and lower vermilions, even now by measuring with the eyes and comparing them.

Age- and sex-related changes in three-dimensional lip morphology

“…systems, electromagnetic three-dimensional digitizers), and that supply non-invasively the digital coordinates of the landmarks of interest [3,8,11,12,18,19,21,[23][24][25]27,[30][31][32][33][34][35][36]. Aging particularly affects the lips, with reductions in thickness, and in vermilion dimensions, coupled with increments in the distance between the nose and the upper lip vermilion border, and in mouth width [10,[12][13][14]16,27].…”

“…Overall, quantitative data on the postnatal growth, development and aging of the lips and mouth have been provided only for limited age ranges: Mamandras [4,5] longitudinally followed up subjects between 8 and 18 years of age; Farkas et al [7] analyzed subjects between birth and 25 years of age; Ferrario et al [8] studied children and adolescents aged 6-18 years of age; Mori et al [24] measured children aged 5-6 years; Zhu et al [15] analyzed children aged 2-12 years. Two-and three-dimensional data on adult and aging subjects were provided by Caisey et al [14], Ferrario et al [31], Iblher et al [16], Lé vêque and Goubanova [12], Ozdemir et al [26] and Sawyer et al [27]; additionally, Akgü l and Toygar [10] longitudinally followed up adult subjects between 22 and 32 years of age.…”

“…For instance, reference data are necessary to surgeons and orthodontists treating dentofacial deformities: diagnosis and treatment should obtain harmonious facial characteristics concurring to a sound functionality [13,16,17,20,[23][24][25][26][27].…”

“…Previous investigations quantitatively analyzed the age and sex characteristics of the orolabial region, assessing both dimensions, reciprocal spatial positions, and relative proportions [7][8][9][10][11][14][15][16]24,26,[30][31][32]. Assessments had been performed both with twodimensional photographic and radiographic records and threedimensional direct and indirect (digital) anthropometry.…”

Soft-tissue 3D Facial Imaging in Children and Adolescents: Towards the Definition of New Reference Standards

“…In Asia, Mori et al [28] scanned in 3D the nasiolabial characteristics of Japanese boys and girls aged 5 to 6 years, while Al-Khatib et al [29] studied the 3D characteristics of the nose of Malaysian adolescents aged 13 to 17 years. In Africa, Sforza et al [30,31] published reference values for more than 650 Northern Sudanese people from 4 years of age into young adulthood.…”