Three-dimensional assessment of treatment outcomes on the face.

Objectives: To investigate the effect on the face of treatment involving extractions.

Design: A prospective study of the effects of extraction and non-extraction treatment on two groups of patients was undertaken.

Setting And Sample Population: Initially there were 16 non-extraction and 18 extraction patients but at the end of treatment there were only 12 in each group.

Experimental Variable: Each of the patients was scanned using a three-dimensional (3-D) MGI scanner and the 3-D scans were analysed using registration and surface shape analysis programs. The registration program registers the scans over the forehead and then shows the differences in colour between the two scans. The surface shape analysis mathematically differentiates the surface into nine different surface shapes.

Results: The results indicated that there was a difference between the two groups at the start of treatment but there were no differences in the effect on the face of treatment in the two groups. The surface morphology was similar at the end of treatment in both groups.

Conclusion: It was concluded that in this preliminary study that whether treatment is undertaken with or without extractions, in this group of patients the facial morphology was not significantly different.