Evolution of photography in maxillofacial surgery: from analog to 3D photography – an overview

In maxillofacial surgery, digital photographic documentation plays a crucial role in clinical routine. This paper gives an overview of the evolution from analog to digital in photography and highlights the integration of digital photography into daily medical routine. The digital workflow is described and we show that image quality is improved by systematic use of photographic equipment and post-processing of digital photographs. One of the advantages of digital photography is the possibility of immediate reappraisal of the photographs for alignment, brightness, positioning, and other photographic settings, which aids in avoiding errors and allows the instant repetition of photographs if necessary. Options for avoiding common mistakes in clinical photography are also described and recommendations made for post-processing of pictures, data storage, and data management systems. The new field of 3D digital photography is described in the context of cranial measurements.