Testing the reliability of point positioning in the analysis of facial asymmetry in photography: A pilot study

Abstract

Introduction: In dental clinical practice, devices such as mobile phones and DSLR cameras (Digital Single Lens Reflex) are used to take intraoral and extraoral photographs. The existence of a large number of studies would allow the establishment of standards for the analysis of photographs and their wider use in daily practice in order to establish a rapid diagnosis, predictability of results and the development of teledentology during the COVID-19 pandemic. The aim of the pilot study was to determine the repeatability of point positioning in the analysis of facial symmetry in digital 2D photography. Materials and methods: One face was photographed using two different photography techniques. Points were positioned in one photo and used for each subsequent measurement. Two evaluators positioned 20 points in three time-separated periods. Results: The results suggest a relatively high degree of agreement of the point positioning provided by the two evaluators. Absolute matching of estimates was registered on 22 parameters (ICCs = 1.00), while on another 17 this value was high (ICCs >.96) Conclusion: This study shows that the values of the interclass of correlation coefficients calculated by the method of two-way random effects for each of the six indices are higher than the values of the lower limit of acceptability (ICC> 0.70). It is necessary to do additional research that will include a larger sample and different phone models to establish the diagnosis of facial asymmetry and the development of teledentistry.