IADR Abstract Archives
Age-Related Changes in Facial Soft Tissues and Muscle Pressure.
Objectives: Aging of facial soft tissues can influence extraoral muscular pressure on the dentoalveolar structures and therefore lead to malocclusion or post-orthodontic treatment relapse. This study aims to analyse the effect of age on 3D-facial soft-tissues, as well as on lip and cheek pressure in a sample of subjects with normal occlusion.
Methods: 120 orthodontically untreated subjects with normal occlusion were divided into three groups: children (with mixed dentition), adolescents (with permanent dentition and until 17 years of age) and adults (18 to 55 years). 3D-facial images were captured using the Vectra H1 system, while lip and cheek pressure was recorded using the IOPI instrument. 3D-Images were prepared using MeshLab, MeVisLab and processed using the Meshmonk tool. Partial Least Square (PLS) regression and two-way ANOVA were used to analyse the age-and-sex specific differences.
Results: Significant facial changes were observed between all age groups. Compared to children, adult males present marked retrusion of the cheeks while the points along the facial midline are directed outwards, while adult women present more protruded nasal bridge and tip, subnasale, supraorbital area and cheeks, while the upper, lower lip and upper forehead are more retruded. Lip pressure was lower in children compared to adolescents and adults (2.0 and 3.42KPa respectively). Right and left cheek pressure was significantly higher in adults than in children and adolescents (6.83KPa, 5.17KPa, and 7.23KPa, 5.37KPa, respectively).
Conclusions: Facial soft tissue morphology changes with age and correlates with increasing lip and cheek pressure. Clinicians should consider these changes during orthodontic diagnosis and treatment planning by incorporating non-invasive modalities such as 3D images and measurement of oral muscle pressure in routine orthodontic practice. These ‘average templates’ of normal occlusion faces could be used to determine how much do patients diverge from the norm and educate the need for long-term orthodontic retention.
Methods: 120 orthodontically untreated subjects with normal occlusion were divided into three groups: children (with mixed dentition), adolescents (with permanent dentition and until 17 years of age) and adults (18 to 55 years). 3D-facial images were captured using the Vectra H1 system, while lip and cheek pressure was recorded using the IOPI instrument. 3D-Images were prepared using MeshLab, MeVisLab and processed using the Meshmonk tool. Partial Least Square (PLS) regression and two-way ANOVA were used to analyse the age-and-sex specific differences.
Results: Significant facial changes were observed between all age groups. Compared to children, adult males present marked retrusion of the cheeks while the points along the facial midline are directed outwards, while adult women present more protruded nasal bridge and tip, subnasale, supraorbital area and cheeks, while the upper, lower lip and upper forehead are more retruded. Lip pressure was lower in children compared to adolescents and adults (2.0 and 3.42KPa respectively). Right and left cheek pressure was significantly higher in adults than in children and adolescents (6.83KPa, 5.17KPa, and 7.23KPa, 5.37KPa, respectively).
Conclusions: Facial soft tissue morphology changes with age and correlates with increasing lip and cheek pressure. Clinicians should consider these changes during orthodontic diagnosis and treatment planning by incorporating non-invasive modalities such as 3D images and measurement of oral muscle pressure in routine orthodontic practice. These ‘average templates’ of normal occlusion faces could be used to determine how much do patients diverge from the norm and educate the need for long-term orthodontic retention.