A 3-DIMENSIONAL EVALUATION OF HUMAN FACIAL ASYMMETRY

Soft-tissue facial asymmetry was studied in a group of 80 young health y white Caucasian adults (40 men, 40 women) with no craniofacial, dent al or mandibular disorders. For each subject, the 3-dimensional coordi nates of 16 standardised soft-tissue facial landmarks (trichion, nasio n, pronasale, subnasale, B point, pogonion, eye lateral canthi, nasal alae, labial commissures, tragi, gonia) were measured by infrared phot ogrammetry by an automated instrument. The form of the right and left hemifaces was assessed by calculating all the possible linear distance s between pairs of landmarks within side. Side differences were tested by using euclidean distance matrix analysis. The mean faces of both g roups were significantly asymmetric, i.e. the 2 sides of face showed s ignificant differences in shape, but no differences in size.