Facial Measurements Research Articles

Alterations in Facial Soft Tissue Thickness Post-Facemask Treatment in Noncleft Skeletal Class III and Bilateral Cleft Lip Palate Class III Patients.

The purpose of this retrospective study was to assess the alteration in the facial soft tissue thickness after rapid maxillary expansion with facemask treatment in bilateral cleft lip and palate (BCLP) Class III patients and noncleft Class III patients. Case records including lateral cephalograms of 30 patients (19 females, 11 males) treated using a rapid maxillary expansion with facemask treatment were analyzed. Group I (age: 11.4 ± 1.02 years) (10 females, 5 males) consisted of noncleft skeletal Class III patients, and group II (age: 10.8 ± 0.84 years) (9 females, 6 males) comprised skeletal Class III patients with bilateral cleft lip and palate. Fifteen hard tissue and 10 soft tissue measurements were made at the beginning and at the end of the treatment to evaluate the change with rapid maxillary expansion combined facemask treatment. The bilateral cleft lip and palate group displayed a statistically significant increase in the thickness of the subnasale, labrale superius, labrale inferius, labiomentale, and pogonion, whereas the thickness of the stomion was found to be significantly decreased. The noncleft group demonstrated a statistically significant decrease in the thickness of the stomion and gnathion. There was a statistically significant difference between the bilateral cleft lip and palate and noncleft groups in the facial soft tissue thickness measurements at labrale superius, gnathion, and subnasale points and in Y axis, U1-SN, U1-NA in the hard tissue measurements. The results of the study indicated that the rapid maxillary expansion with facemask treatment produced diverse alterations in the facial soft tissue thickness of bilateral cleft lip and palate patients and noncleft Class III patients.

Review: Facial Anthropometric, Landmark Extraction, and Nasal Reconstruction Technology

Facial anthropometrics are measurements of human faces and are important figures that are used in many different fields, such as cosmetic surgery, protective gear design, reconstruction, etc. Therefore, the first procedure is to extract facial landmarks, then measurements are carried out by professional devices or based on experience. The aim of this review is to provide an update and review of 3D facial measurements, facial landmarks, and nasal reconstruction literature. The novel methods to detect facial landmarks including non-deep and deep learning are also introduced in this paper. Moreover, the nose is the most attractive part of the face, so nasal reconstruction or rhinoplasty is a matter of concern, and this is a significant challenge. The documents on the use of 3D printing technology as an aid in clinical diagnosis and during rhinoplasty surgery are also surveyed. Although scientific technology development with many algorithms for facial landmarks extraction have been proposed, their application in the medical field is still scarce. Connectivity between studies in different fields is a major challenge today; it opens up opportunities for the development of technology in healthcare. This review consists of the recent literature on 3D measurements, identification of landmarks, particularly in the medical field, and finally, nasal reconstruction technology. It is a helpful reference for researchers in these fields.

A comprehensive comparison of facial skin hydration based on capacitance and conductance measurements in Chinese women.

The aim of this study was to compare the data of conductance and capacitance measurements of facial skin hydration and to evaluate and discuss the advantages and disadvantages of the different approaches. We measured skin capacitance (Corneometer® CM 825) and skin conductance (Skicon-200EX®) on 30 pre-defined facial sites of 125 Chinese women, resulting in 3750 readings per device. The data were analysed and compared, and continuous colour maps were generated on a 3D avatar for capacitance, conductance, relative difference (Δ%) and correlation (R-value) by interpolating between the individual readings and converting the values to colours. This visualization allows a better interpretation of the results. The complexity of facial skin hydration is revealed by this approach. The similarities and discrepancies in the facial hydration maps are clearly apparent. Due to the superiority of the Skicon in measuring high hydration levels, differences in skin hydration were evident on the forehead compared with the Corneometer maps, which may be related to the more superficial measurement of the Skicon within the stratum corneum. Conversely, a greater understanding of the complexity of facial skin hydration in the nasolabial fold was obvious when using the Corneometer. The best congruence between the instruments was found at two specific but separated facial areas, one around the inner eye region and the other one on a line between the nasolabial sulcus and the oblique, lateral jaw. Interestingly, the data were not normally distributed for both instruments and they had opposite skews. All facial clusters were statistically different from each other (p< 0.001), except the cheek and jaw for the Skicon. Larger than expected percentage coefficients of variance were found for the Corneometer on some facial sites that might be explainable by differences in stratum corneum physiology and biochemistry. Corneometer values of 48 AU and Skicon values of 132 μS were taken as the cutoff for normally hydrated facial skin. Both devices have their advantages and disadvantages suggesting that bio-instrumental measurement of skin hydration is actually more complicated than commonly thought and that the different facial zones and the use of multiple instrumentation have not been adequately considered.

Three-dimensional orthodontic imaging in children across the age spectrum and correlations with obstructive sleep apnea.

To determine baseline facial convexity measurements in children with obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) across the age spectrum. Polysomnogram, stereophotogrammetry, and biometric data were collected from children aged 0-18 years who were being investigated for OSA. Analyses evaluated differences in facial convexity according to OSA severity and other sleep parameters, while adjusting for age, ethnicity, and sex. Ninety-one children, aged 0.05-16.02 years, met the inclusion criteria for this study. Initial analysis showed that the logarithm of age had a significant effect on facial convexity (P = 8.3·10-7) with significant effects of sex (P = 1.3·10-2), while excluding OSA. Ordinal logistic regression taking into consideration age, sex, weight, height, and ethnicity with OSA severity categorized as obstructive apnea-hypopnea index negative, mild, moderate, or severe showed that facial convexity was associated with OSA severity (P = 2.2·10-3); an increasing obtuse angle of convexity increased the tendency to be classified as having severe OSA. Using three-dimensional imaging, we found an added impact of infancy on changes of facial convexity with age. While modeling could describe facial convexity without any OSA-associated sleep parameters, differences in facial convexity were present among groups with different levels of OSA severity adjusted for growth (age, weight, and height), sex, and ethnicity. The method provides a safer and cheaper alternative to other medical imaging techniques in children and holds potential for future use in studies of craniofacial structure. Tyler G, Machaalani R, Waters KA. Three-dimensional orthodontic imaging in children across the age spectrum and correlations with obstructive sleep apnea. J Clin Sleep Med. 2023;19(2):275-282.

The accuracy of a three-dimensional face model reconstructing method based on conventional clinical two-dimensional photos

BackgroundThis study aims to investigate the accuracy of a three-dimensional (3D) face reconstruction method based on conventional clinical two-dimensional (2D) photos.MethodsTwenty-three patients were included, and Character Creator v3.2 software with the Headshot v1.0 plugin was used for 3D face model reconstruction. Various facial landmarks were finely adjusted manually to refine the models. After preprocessing and repositioning, 3D deviation analysis was performed. The accuracy of the landmarks in different dimensions was determined, and twelve facial soft tissue measurements were compared to validate the clinical potential of the method.ResultThe reconstructed 3D face models showed good facial morphology with fine texture. The average root mean square errors between face scan models and reconstructed models at perioral area (1.26 ± 0.24 mm, 95%CI: 1.15–1.37 mm) were significantly smaller than the entire facial area (1.77 ± 0.23 mm, 95%CI:1.67–1.88 mm), P < 0.01. The deviation of menton of soft tissue was significantly larger than pronasale (P < 0.01). The deviations of all landmarks in the Y-direction were significantly larger than those in the other 2 dimensions (Y > Z > X, P < 0.01). A significant difference (P < 0.05) of approximately 1.5 mm was found for facial height. Significant differences (P < 0.05) were also identified in the remaining 6 soft tissue measurements, with average deviations no greater than 0.5 mm (linear measurement) or 1.2° (angular measurements).ConclusionA 3D face modeling method based on 2D face photos was revealed and validated. The reconstruction accuracy of this method is clinically acceptable for orthodontic measurement purposes, but narrow clinical indications and labor-intensive operations remain problems.

Holdaway Soft Tissue Cephalometric Standard for Malay Adults

Objectives: The aim of this study were: 1. To report facial soft tissue measurements in Class I Malay adult, 2. To compare between gender, 3. And to check applicability of Holdaway values for Class I Malay adults. Materials and Methods: Lateral cephalometric of 20 men and 20 women age 20-30 years with Class I skeletal was selected from Orthodontic Clinic, Faculty of Dentistry UiTM. The subject has no orthodontic or orthognathic surgery done before the radiograph was taken. The radiograph was traced and evaluated by the authors. Cephalometric landmarks were located according to Holdaway analysis. Ten linear and two angular measurements were produced on each radiograph and measured. For each variable, the mean and standard deviation (SD) was calculated using simple t-test (p&lt;0.05). Results: Soft tissue measurements for Malay have significant difference as compared to Holdaway value except for three parameters which are soft tissue facial angle, superior sulcus depth, and soft tissue chin thickness. When compared between genders, male has larger value in skeletal profile convexity, upper lip strain and soft tissue thickness while females demonstrated higher value in nose prominence and superior sulcus depth. Conclusions: It has been concluded that Malay values for Holdaway soft tissue analysis were found to be statistically different. Hence Holdaway soft tissue values are not applicable for use in orthodontic practice for Malay population. Further research to confirm values obtained for Malay population would aid in better diagnosis and treatment planning.

Correlación entre la dimensión vertical de la oclusión y diferentes medidas faciales en una muestra de adultos sudaneses

Aim: This study aimed to evaluate the correlation between vertical dimension of occlusion (VDO) and various facial measurements in a sample of Sudanese adults. Material and Methods: A total of 113 dental students (33 males and 80 females) with a mean age of 21.7±1.26 years were enrolled in this study. Different facial measurements including (Eye-Mouth, Eye-Eye, Eye-Ear, and Ear Height) were compared with two different measurements of VDO: N-Gn (from the tip of the nose to the tip of the chin), and Sn-Me (from the base of the nose to the bottom of the chin). Pearson’s correlation coefficient test was utilized for the correlation between the measured parameters. A p-value of less than 0.05 was considered significant for all analyses. Results: A significant positive correlation was shown between all measured facial distances and both measured VDO distances. Though, the strongest correlation was seen for the eye-mouth distance (r= 0.725, p&lt;0.001), while the weakest was for ear height (r= 0.254, p= 0.007). A paired t-test revealed a significant longer N-Gn distance than Sn-Me distance. Also, it has been shown that there were no significant differences between right and left sides of the face. Conclusion: The distance measured from the outer canthus of the eye to the angle of the mouth can be used to predict Subnasale-Menton (Sn-Me) distance.

Two-stage unsupervised facial image quality measurement

The performance of face recognition methods predominantly depends on the quality of facial images. Therefore, by filtering low-quality facial images, face recognizers can be effectively implemented. Moreover, the factors causing degradation in the quality of facial images include the face acquisition environment (e.g., illumination, motion blur, and resolution) and facial characteristics (e.g., pose and occlusion). Therefore, in this study, we propose a novel two-stage unsupervised facial image quality measure (TUFIQM) algorithm to evaluate the degradations caused by the acquisition environment and face factors. The proposed TUFIQM consists of an environmental degradation estimation module (EDEM) and a face factor degradation measurement module (FFDMM). Specifically, the EDEM introduces meta-learning to learn prior knowledge from the subjective quality assessment of natural scene images; subsequently, it employs the acquired prior knowledge to estimate the face quality degradation caused by the face acquisition environment. The design principle of the EDEM is based on the similar effect demonstrated by the acquisition environment on the quality of facial and natural scene images. Considering that face factor degradation leads to loss of highly identifiable high-frequency facial features, the FFDMM quantifies the amount of high-frequency information in visible face areas to represent the degradation in quality due to varying facial factors. The EDEM and FFDMM were combined in this study to achieve the proposed TUFIQM. Experiments on public datasets showed that the proposed TUFIQM algorithm is better than other state-of-the-art image quality measurement methods devised for natural scene and facial images.

Objective evaluation of facial features in Congolese newborns by facial measurements. The need for population-specific measurements.

The evaluation of dysmorphism is often subjective because many continuous traits are not easily measured or lack normal values. Because many common morphologic profiles vary between populations, population-specific reference ranges of relevant traits are needed. We aim to evaluate the objective assessment of facial dysmorphism in 553 Congolese newborns based on facial measurements. Measurements taken with a ruler were on average larger compared to those with a caliper, but the bias did not depend on the size of the measurement. We therefore introduced a correction factor that allows to use both techniques for facial measurements interchangeably in future studies. The outer canthal distance, palpebral fissure length, and mouth width were significantly larger in Congolese newborns (respectively mean 6.59 [SD 0.48]; mean 2.20 [SD 0.24]; mean 2.78 [SD 0.26]) when compared to references based on European newborns (respectively mean 3.59 [SD 1.76]; mean 4.20 [SD 2.26]; mean 0.47 [SD 1.21]), while the rest of measurements were significantly smaller. The interpupillary distance (IPD) calculated from inner canthal distance and outer canthal distance was not significantly different. We observed a poor agreement between clinical evaluation and measured features (kappa of 0.432). Clinicians were more likely to recognize a face as having wide-spaced eyes when it had been recognized as such during the clinical examination, more than if the child had a high interpupillary distance. This suggests that the measured IPD is not precisely reflecting what is clinically evaluated as wide-spaced eyes.

Effects of maxillomandibular advancement on respiratory function and facial aesthetics in obstructive sleep apnoea patients with versus without maxillomandibular deficiency

The aim of this study was to compare the effects of maxillomandibular advancement (MMA) on respiratory function between obstructive sleep apnoea (OSA) patients with and without maxillomandibular deficiency, and to compare the changes in facial aesthetics after MMA between the two groups. MMA-treated patients who had both baseline and follow-up polysomnography (PSG) data and lateral cephalograms were enrolled in this retrospective study. In addition to PSG and cephalometric data, patient satisfaction with postoperative breathing and facial aesthetics, and overall satisfaction with the treatment were assessed. Twenty-one patients were classified as not having maxillomandibular deficiency (without-deficiency group) and 40 patients as having maxillomandibular deficiency (with-deficiency group). The improvements in respiratory parameters (e.g., apnoea–hypopnoea index) and patient satisfaction with postoperative breathing were comparable in the two groups (P = 0.094–0.713). The changes in facial profile measurements (e.g., nasal prominence, nasolabial angel, and lip positions relative to the true vertical line) and patient satisfaction with postoperative facial aesthetics were also comparable in the two groups (P = 0.148–0.983). In conclusion, no significant difference in the effects of MMA on respiratory function and facial aesthetics between OSA patients with and without maxillomandibular deficiency was observed.

Happiness detection with facial physiological measurement from hyperspectral imaging

Hyperspectral imaging technology (HSI) can be used to remotely detect emotion levels in humans based on the tissue oxygen saturation (StO2) from their faces. Our prior research demonstrated some significant differences among the variations of StO2 in different facial regions of interest (ROIs) when the subjects are truly happy. Experiment is conducted for data collection with HSI where the subjects (a total of fifty participants, who rigidly conform to the research protocol) are required to show spontaneous emotions (calm, happy, and unhappy: angry). Based on the comprehensive analysis of musculoskeletal anatomy and facial action coding system (FACS), 19 ROIs have been determined. Consequently, a 19 dimensional StO2 vector is constructed as a feature input instead of employing the entire facial region. Lastly, experimental results through basic K-Nearest Neighbor (KNN) report an average accuracy rate of 83.32% when only considering fewer StO2 features. In addition, some experiments using other advanced machine learning methods also validate its effective recognition performance with facial StO2 as an affective indicator. Our findings demonstrate the possible practical feasibility of StO2 in happiness detection.

Which Is the Optimal Anthropometric Method for Asian Noses: Conventional Rulers, Two-Dimensional Photographs, Three-Dimensional Imaging, or Computed Tomography?

Most Asian noses have a bulbous tip, low radix, low dorsum, short columella, and thick skin envelope, which make rhinoplasty one of the most popular plastic surgery procedures among Asians. Nasal anthropomorphic measurements are required for planning and obtaining a pleasing aesthetic result in rhinoplasty.1 In addition, understanding the relative effect of individual treatments or techniques depends on accurate and objective nasal measurements. Several anthropometric methods have been applied, including conventional rulers, two-dimensional photographs, three-dimensional imaging, or computed tomography (Table 1). Table 1. - Advantages and Disadvantages of Nasal Measurement Methods Method Advantages Disadvantages Conventional rulers Accessible Imprecise, examiner-biased, unfavorable angular measurements Two-dimensional photographs Accessible, appearance record, favorable angular measurements Need to set scale manually, not applicable to the noses with low radix and alar hypertrophy Three-dimensional imaging High reliability, accuracy, time saving, low cost, no radioactivity, repeatability No tissue information, expensive imaging machine CT High reliability, accuracy, visible bone and soft tissue High cost, radioactivity CT, computed tomography. Anthropometric measurements are referenced to the standards established by Farkas et al.2 Conventional rulers, such as calipers and protractors, have proven to be time-consuming, examiner-biased, and extremely relying on patient cooperation. This is probably because of the difficulty in identifying anatomical landmarks with sufficient precision. In addition, the identification of some landmarks by individuals is somewhat subjective. As the nose is three-dimensional, it is also difficult to simulate some nasal angles, such as nasal tip angle and nasofacial angle, and measure them accurately with protractors. Two-dimensional photographs are routinely used to record changes before and after rhinoplasty. Linear measurements can be obtained using image processing software if the photographs contain a scale; otherwise, only angles can be measured. The accuracy of the measurements can be affected by many factors, such as lighting, camera angle, and distance relative to the patient. A large percentage of Asians have a low radix, and the landmarks of nasion points are not visible from lateral photographs, resulting in some nasal measurements—including nasal height, nasal length, nasofrontal angle, and nasofacial angle—not being able to be measured. Likewise, alar hypertrophy causes the subnasal points to be unrecognizable on lateral photographs and, consequently, the nasal depth and nasolabial angle cannot be measured. Three-dimensional imaging can produce high-resolution three-dimensional images by capturing and constructing topographic surface maps. Several studies have been performed using three-dimensional imaging for facial anthropometric measurements, and the method has proven to be highly accurate and reliable.3,4 Computed tomography has become an important tool for rhinoplasty because of its high efficiency to analyze and simulate nasal bone and soft tissue independently. The midsagittal images and axial images of computed tomography were used for nasal measurements previously, whereas the position of the head during the examination may affect the images. Besides, computed tomographic data can be used to generate three-dimensional images of the face to facilitate nasal measurements.5 The three-dimensional images can be moved and rotated to any view, and the nasal details can be magnified to identify the anthropometric landmarks. The scale of the three-dimensional image is defaulted by the machine with high precision, without the need to determine the scale manually as for two-dimensional photographs. Computed tomography allows precise acquisition of head tissue information, but the disadvantages of high cost and radioactivity prevent its routine use for nasal measurements. Although three-dimensional imaging can obtain only facial surface images, it is sufficient for nasal measurements. Compared to computed tomography, three-dimensional imaging has the advantages of time saving, low cost, no radioactivity, and repeatability. Overall, three-dimensional imaging is recommended for nasal measurements, especially for Asian noses. One day, three-dimensional scanning will replace direct measurements and two-dimensional photographs, because of its reliability, accuracy, repeatability, time saving, patient convenience, and low cost. DISCLOSURE The authors have no financial interest in any of the products or devices mentioned in this article.

Forensic Facial Approximation of 5000-Year-Old Female Skull from Shell Midden in Guar Kepah, Malaysia

Forensic facial approximation was applied to a 5000-year-old female skull from a shell midden in Guar Kepah, Malaysia. The skull was scanned using a computed tomography (CT) scanner in the Radiology Department of the Hospital Universiti Sains Malaysia using a Light Speed Plus scanner with a 1 mm section thickness in spiral mode and a 512 × 512 matrix. The resulting images were stored in Digital Imaging and Communications in Medicine (DICOM) format. A three-dimensional (3D) model of the skull was obtained from the CT scan data using Blender’s 3D modelling and animation software. After the skull was reconstructed, it was placed on the Frankfurt plane, and soft tissue thickness markers were placed based on 34 Malay CT scan data of the nose and lips. The technique based on facial approximation by data extracted from facial measurements of living individuals showed greater anatomical coherence when combined with anatomical deformation. The facial approximation in this study will pave the way towards understanding face prediction based on skull structures, soft tissue prediction rules, and soft tissue thickness descriptors.

A cross-sectional study of the anthropometry of the face among Bonos and Ewes in the Bono region of Ghana

BackgroundGrowth and development of craniofacial structures are of importance since their anthropometry is useful in maxillofacial surgery, plastic surgery, orthodontics and forensic medicine. Surgeons consider the specific facial structures of such patients to help obtain accurate results. Ghana is however less-endowed with data regarding facial anthropometry for the aforementioned applications. Therefore, the study aimed to bring out the differences between the facial measurements of the male and female participants in order to generate baseline data for Ghanaians, taking into consideration the Bonos and Ewes living in the Bono region of Ghana. Twenty-four anthropometric facial measurements were taken from a total of 291 healthy individuals (152 Bonos and 139 Ewes), aged 18–60 years using Shahe Vernier callipers.ResultsThe study revealed Bono males had significantly longer faces than that of the Bono females (upper face height 2 and total face height). For maxillary height, mandibular width and mouth width, the mean values of Bono males were significantly greater than that of the Ewe males. There was a statistically significant difference concerning nasal length and anatomical nose width among the participants (p < 0.05). Bono male participants had significantly greater values than Ewe males in both endocanthion-exocanthion and endocanthion-endocanthion measurements.ConclusionsThe results of this study support the assertion regarding the existence of tribal variations and sexual dimorphism associated with facial measurements and have provided additional data for facial morphology for biometric and forensic applications as well as facial reconstruction especially among the study populations in Ghana.

A methodology for task-specific metrological characterization of low-cost 3D camera for face analysis

Facial appearance is one prominent feature in analyzing several aspects, e.g., aesthetics and expression of emotions, and face analysis is crucial in many fields. Face analysis requires measurements that can be performed by different technologies and typically relies on landmarks identification. Recently, low-cost customer grade 3D cameras have been introduced in the market, enabling an increase of application at affordable cost with nominal adequate performances. Novel cameras require to be thoroughly metrologically characterized to guarantee these performances. Cameras are calibrated following a standard general-purpose procedure. However, the specificity of facial measurements requires a task-based metrological characterization to include typical influence factors. This work outlines a methodology for task-based metrological characterization of low-cost 3D cameras for facial analysis, consisting of: influence factor identification by ANOVA, related uncertainty contribution assessment, uncertainty propagation, landmarking uncertainty estimation. The proposed methodology is then demonstrated on a customer grade state-of-the-art 3D camera available on the market.

Compound Facial Expression Recognition and Pain Intensity Measurement Using Optimized Deep Neuro Fuzzy Network

The automatic measurement of pain intensity from facial expressions, mainly from face images describes the patient’s health. Hence, a robust technique, named Water Cycle Henry Gas Solubility Optimization-based Deep Neuro Fuzzy Network (WCHGSO-DNFN) is designed for compound FER and pain intensity measurement. However, the proposed WCHGSO is the incorporation of Water Cycle Algorithm (WCA) with Henry Gas Solubility Optimization (HGSO). Here, Compound Facial Expressions of Emotion Database (dataset-2) is made to perform compound FER, whereas the input image from UNBC pain intensity dataset (dataset-1) is utilized to measure the pain intensity, and the processes are performed separately. The developed technique achieved better performance with respect to testing accuracy, sensitivity, and specificity with the highest values of 0.814, 0.819, and 0.806 using dataset-1, whereas maximum values of 0.815, 0.758 and 0.848 is achieved using dataset-2.

Non-verbal signs of personality: Communicative meanings of facial expressions

Abstact. There is a lot of evidence that most people are capable of recognizing emotions by facial expressions. What information does a facial expression usually provide? Can emotions be shown without facial expressions? Can there be facial expressions without a corresponding emotional state? Are there individual facial expressions? The studies of various aspects of non-verbal communication show both similarities and differences in non-verbal behavior. It is argued that similarities are most evident at the individual level, when the focus is on the objective, formal features of behavior, while differences are more likely to be found when the analysis focuses on the relationship between individuals and interpersonal meanings of behavior. Despite the rapid expansion of research on non-verbal communication, most of it describes simple differences in the display of non-verbal signals. Although they differ in almost every other respect, most facial measurement methods focus on what is seen, on what the researcher can identify when seeing some facial movements. Most of the research methods applied are not sufficient for the study of this complex, multidimensional issue. Like all basic studies of communicative processes, proxemics is more about how than why, and more about structure than content. The article focuses on the question whether non-verbal behavior reflects cultural similarities or differences, and whether different levels of analysis allow to observe both cultural homogeneity and diversity inherent in most acts of non-verbal behavior. The authors consider the data of laboratory experiments on the relationship between emotions and adults’ facial expressions: some studies confirm the high consistency between fun and smiling, and from the low to moderate consistency between other positive emotions and smiling. The available evidence on surprise and disgust suggests that these emotions are accompanied by their ‘traditional’ facial expressions or even some components of such expressions only in a minority of cases. The American anthropologist, one of the founders of kinesics, Birdwhistell introduced this term for the complex study of facial expressions, poses, gait, and visible movements of arms and body. Birdwhistell argues that body language is determined by cultural environment rather than universal genetic programs. Birdwhistell defines kinesics as “the study of body-motion as related to the nonverbal aspects of interpersonal communication”. He argues that communication with body motion is systemic, socially learned and communicative unless proven otherwise. The article considers in detail the works and theories of Birdwhistell who often had to admit that some of his ideas were controversial. The authors conclude that Birdwhistell’s works have serious mistakes, and other researchers failed to develop his theory of kinesics. Thus, the authors consider the research in this field focusing on the so-called recognition of the communicative meanings of facial expressions.

Predicting the sagittal skeletal pattern using dental cast and facial profile photographs in children aged 9 to 14 years.

To quantify prediction of sagittal skeletal pattern using anteroposterior dental relationships on dental casts and facial profile photograph. The cross-sectional study was conducted at the Aga Khan University Hospital, Karachi, from December 2016 to July 2017, and comprised orthodontic patients of either gender aged 9-14 years who attended the outpatient dental clinic. The sagittal skeletal relationship assessed on cephalometric radiographs was compared with anteroposterior dental and facial measurements on their dental cast and facial profile photographs. A prediction model was developed using multiple linear regression. The applicability of the prediction model was checked on an independent sample. Data was analysed using STATA 12. Of the 76 patients, about two-third (n=47) were females. The overall median age was 12.3 years (inter-quartile range: 1.8), with majority (60.5%) aged 12-14 years. The proportion of Class I, II and III malocclusion was 25 (32.9%), 50 (65.8%) and 1 (1.3%) respectively. Highest percentage of variability 47.4% in ANB angle was determined by the soft tissue ANB angle. 54.9% of the variability in the ANB angle could be explained by overjet, soft tissue ANB' angle, lower lip to E-line distance, Class II incisor relationship, history of malocclusion and thumb sucking, interaction terms between Class II incisor relationship and history of malocclusion, and history of thumb sucking and soft tissue ANB' angle. Sagittal skeletal relationship in an individual can be predicted with moderate accuracy using the prediction equation incorporating dental and facial variables along with history of malocclusion and thumb-sucking without potentially harmful exposure to cephalometric radiographs.

Effect Of Low-Level Laser Therapy On Inflammatory Sequеlae Of Impacted Mandibular Third Molar Surgery: A Single-Blind, Placebo-Controlled, Randomized Clinical Trial

Objective — Postoperative pain, facial swelling, and limitation of mouth opening are common sequеlae of lower third molar surgery. The objective of the study was to evaluate the effect of Low- level laser irradiation in controlling these sequеlae. Material and Methods — This randomized, single-blinded, split-mouth pilot study was carried out at the department of oral and maxillofacial surgery, university affiliated hospital, Erbil, Iraq. The study was conducted on 20 patients (13 males and 7 females), with a mean age of 26.3±7.4 years, who needed surgical removal of symmetrical bilateral impacted lower third molars. In each patient, one side was treated by low level laser and the other side was control. Laser irradiation was performed by postoperative single intraoral application of 940 nm laser beam at four points. Pain, trismus, and facial swelling were evaluated at the first, third, and seventh postoperative days. The data were analyzed using Mann–Whitney U test and unpaired t -test. Results — As compared to the control sides, low- level laser irradiated sides showed a significant reduction in visual analogue pain scales (VAS) during the first three postoperative days (P&lt;0.05). The VAS scores of the laser treated sides were 4.46, 4.00, and 3.35 as compared to 6.58, 5.82, and 5.17 for the control sides. The swelling, and trismus were significantly reduced on the first and third postoperative days in the laser treated sides, as compared to the control sides (P&lt;0.05). The facial measurements during the first and third postoperative days were 108.72 mm and 114.77 mm in the laser sides and 113.57 mm and 118.43 mm in the control sides. The degree of mouth opening during the first and third postoperative days were 33.48 mm and 30.37 mm in the laser sides and 27.93 mm and 25.58 mm in the control sides Conclusions — Single intraoral application of low- level laser is effective in reducing pain, swelling and trismus after mandibular third molar surgery. Therefore, it can be used as an adjuvant in controlling postoperative complications after lower third molar surgery.

86. What Is Beauty? A Crowdsourced Evaluation of Facial Attractiveness

Purpose: Opinions of aesthetic outcomes can vary greatly amongst plastic surgeons. Our specialty creates changes for patients. Often, change can be mistaken for improvement. We are deemed experts of attractiveness, and thus it is not acceptable to have this degree of uncertainty on what is ideal. The authors hope to quantify cosmetic results to determine if postoperative changes are indeed better or worse than preoperatively. Evolutionary psychologists have shown that humans are koinophiles that seek out mates who possess average anatomy for the population. We particularly adore cognitive averages, meaning we subconsciously generate composites of the most recent attractive faces seen. Our study attempts to identify an “ideal” through crowdsourced ratings. We hypothesized a composite of the cohort would be most attractive and investigated which features correlated with attractiveness. Methods: Our male and female cohorts each consisted of 41 standardized frontal-view monochrome photos, with one composite image derived from the other forty. We measured 46 facial features per image, calibrating measurements with facial width-to-height ratio and interpupillary distance. We utilized Amazon Mechanical Turk, a widely used crowdsourcing platform, to receive ratings of images ranging from 1-7, with 1 and 7 being least and most attractive, respectively.Statistical AnalysisAnalysis of variance tests were performed for ratings and facial feature measurements. A Spearman correlation test calculated correlation coefficients between facial measurements and ratings. Lastly, we constructed heatmaps from facial measurements and scores. Results: 2064 evaluations revealed composite male and female scores (means were 5.31 and 5.60, respectively) were the highest of their cohorts and significantly greater (both p<0.0001) than scores of the other 40 photos (means were 4.06 and 4.00, respectively). Average ear width (r=1, p=0.0004) for males and average ear height, medial eye distance, and iris-to-aperture distance (all r=1, p=0.0004) for females had the highest correlations with attractiveness. Conclusion: Our study reports that average facial anatomy and ear features (heavily linked with chin-jaw and eye angles) are highly correlated with attractiveness. This is an initial step into the field of objective cosmetic quantifications and integrating evidence-based medicine into aesthetic surgery.