The Vectra M3 3-dimensional digital stereophotogrammetry system: A reliable technique for detecting chin asymmetry

PURPOSE: The aim of this study was to evaluate the reliability of the Vectra M3 (3D Imaging System; Canfield Scientific, Parsippany, NJ, USA) in detecting chin asymmetry, and to assess whether the automatic markerless tracking function is reliable compared to manually plotting landmarks. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Twenty subjects (18 females and 2 males) with a mean age of 42.5±10.5 years were included. Three-dimensional image acquisition was carried out on all subjects with simulated chin deviation in 4 stages (1-4 mm). The images were analyzed by 2 independent observers through manually plotting landmarks and by Vectra software auto-tracking mode. Repeated-measures analysis of variance and the Tukey post-hoc test were performed to evaluate the differences in mean measurements between the 2 operators and the software for measuring chin deviation in 4 stages. The intraclass correlation coefficient (ICC) was calculated to estimate the intra- and inter-examiner reliability. RESULTS: No significant difference was found between the accuracy of manually plotting landmarks between observers 1 and 2 and the auto-tracking mode (P=0.783 and P=0.999, respectively). The mean difference in detecting the degree of deviation according to the stage was <0.5 mm for all landmarks. CONCLUSION: The auto-tracking mode could be considered as reliable as manually plotted landmarks in detecting small chin deviations with the Vectra® M3. The effect on the soft tissue when constructing a known dental movement yielded a small overestimation of the soft tissue movement compared to the dental movement (mean value<0.5 mm), which can be considered clinically non-significant.