title: Assessment of facial form modifications in orthodontics: proposal of a modified computerized mesh diagram analysis.
abstract: A modified computerized mesh diagram analysis enables rapid, easy, and independent quantifications of facial size, shape, and head position. A lateral cephalometric radiograph is traced, positioned in natural head position (NHP) according to the NHP registered on a lateral photograph, and superimposed by the standard grid of rectangles determined by the patient's upper face height and face depth. The patient's tracing is compared with a reference tracing of a norm. The two tracings are registered at nasion in NHP, and the size difference of the patient's mesh rectangles from the norm is quantified by a size normalization. The shape discrepancies are evaluated by calculating relevant displacement vectors for each cephalometric landmark, and a global difference factor. This computerized method provides a rapid graphic evaluation of the patient's sagittal and vertical discrepancies and can also be applied to determine the effects of orthodontic therapy and/or growth on the skeletal and dental relationships in a single patient.
authors.affiliation: Istituto di Anatomia Umana Normale, Facoltà di Medicina e Chirurgia, Università degli Studi di Milano, Italy.
authors.forename: V F
authors.initials: VF
authors.lastname: Ferrario
authors.forename: C
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Sforza
authors.forename: L L
authors.initials: LL
authors.lastname: Dalloca
authors.forename: D J
authors.initials: DJ
authors.lastname: DeFranco
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D002508:Cephalometry / Q000379:methods / Q000592:standards*; D002648:Child; D003196:Computer Graphics; D005145:Face / Q000033:anatomy & histology*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008310:Malocclusion / Q000175:diagnosis*; D008445:Maxillofacial Development; D011857:Radiographic Image Interpretation, Computer-Assisted / Q000379:methods; D012015:Reference Standards