Analysis of the three-dimensional contour of the human face and its relationship with age: a study in computed tomography

Abstract

Abstract Objectives: The aim was to evaluate the three-dimensional contour of the face through the morphometric analysis of three facial angles in computed tomography scans of human skulls in different age categories. Material and Methods: The sample consisted of 123 CT scans that were divided into three groups according to the age. The Mimics 18.0 software (Materialise, NV, Belgium) was used to perform the segmentation of the images of each CT scan. Using the 3D reconstructions of the CT scans, the angular measurements were obtained for the evaluation of the orbital, piriform and maxillary angles. A significance level of 5% was considered. Descriptive statistics were performed for each measurement in each age category and sex. Two-way ANOVA was performed, with multiple comparisons by Tukey's test. Results: In females, there was a tendency for the piriform angle to increase from the young to the middle-aged group and decrease from the middle-aged to the elderly group. Conclusions: Females are more prone to selective resorptions than males mainly in the middle third of the face. Clinical relevance: There is a need to know how the face is remodeled in the process of aging and to understand this bony remodeling is important for application in facial analysis for execution of surgical and aesthetic procedures.