Three-dimensional virtual imaging of facial skeleton and dental morphologic condition for treatment planning in orthognathic surgery

The improvement of esthetics and function, including the occlusal relationship, needs to be carefully considered in treatment planning for the success of orthognathic surgery. Conventional lateral cephalograms and dental study casts have been used usually for the assessment of skeletal morphologic condition and occlusion, respectively, in planning procedures. However, these traditional techniques do not allow for simultaneous evaluation of the skeletal morphologic condition and the occlusal harmony. A new technique has been developed that combines the conventional clinical diagnostic materials, cephalograms, and dental study casts to produce a 3-dimensional virtual image for routine practice. A 3-dimensional graphic image of dental study casts was generated with a laser surface scanner. A 3-dimensional skeletal image was constructed based on the coordinates of anatomic landmarks registered on frontal and lateral cephalograms. The image of the study cast was then set up with the 3-dimensional skeletal image to create a 3-dimensional dataset of the virtual image. The 3-dimensional virtual image, combining the cephalometric and the dental study cast information, permits simultaneous display of skeletal morphologic condition and occlusal relationship. This 3-dimensional virtual imaging can be helpful in planning orthodontic–surgical treatment and in providing graphic information to the patient. This article describes the technique and outline. A clinical application with this imaging technique is also demonstrated. (Am J Orthod Dentofacial Orthop 1999;116:126-31)