Reproducibility of the lip position at rest: A 3-dimensional perspective. Furkan Dindaroğlu, Gökhan Serhat Duran, Serkan Görgülü.

Date: May 2016.
Source: American Journal of Orthodontics and Dentofacial Orthopedics, Volume 149, Issue 5, Pages 757–765.
Highlights:
• We assessed the reproducibility of the rest position using 3D soft tissue images.
• 3D stereophotogrammetry images of a participant were acquired using 3dMD flex.
• The reproducibility was assessed on the same day and 6 weeks later.
• The rest position can be reproduced within a small range both on the same day and between the sessions.
Introduction: In this study, we evaluated the reproducibility of the lip position at rest in 3 dimensions using reverse engineering software and stereophotogrammetric images.
Methods: We used 3dMDflex (3dMD, Atlanta, Ga) to obtain 60 stereophotogrammetric images from the same participant. Thirty images were obtained in 3 sessions on the same day, and the procedure was repeated 6 weeks later for 30 more images. The surface-base registration, the segmentation of the upper and lower lips, and the 3-dimensional deviation analysis were performed with Geomagic Control (3D Systems, Rock Hill, SC) software. The Shapiro-Wilk test, paired sample t test, Bland-Altman plots, and Wilcoxon signed rank test were used for statistical analysis at a significance level of P <0.05. Results: The deviations of the upper lip on the first images were between 0.16 and 1.39 mm. The mean total deviation was 0.25 ± 0.12 mm. The mean deviation of the lower lip was 0.34 ± 0.17 mm. The deviations were observed between −1.96 and 1.97 mm. When the mean positive (P = 0.633 and P = 0.171, respectively) and the mean negative (P = 0.771 and P = 0.842, respectively) deviations of the upper and lower lips were analyzed, there was no significant difference between the 2 time points.
Conclusions: The results suggest that the rest position can be reproduced within a small range both on the same day and between the sessions. More research with larger samples is needed to confirm these results.
Article: Reproducibility of the lip position at rest: A 3-dimensional perspective.
Authors: Furkan Dindaroğlu, Gökhan Serhat Duran, Serkan Görgülü, Department of Orthodontics, Dental Sciences Center, Gülhane Military Medical Academy, Etlik, Ankara, Turkey.