Is Smartphone-Based 3D Photogrammetry Suitable for Indirect Facial Analysis in Patients With Dentofacial Deformities? A Trueness and Precision Analysis.

Abstract

Objective: To evaluate the trueness and precision of Qlone Dental Pro 3D Scanner for smartphones when applied to indirect facial analysis of individuals undergoing orthognathic surgical planning.

Materials and methods: This is a cross-sectional trueness and precision study. The study population comprised individuals with dentofacial deformities. A control group without dentofacial deformity was included for comparison. Direct facial anthropometry using a digital calliper served as standard-reference. 3D facial models in. OBJ format were obtained by Qlone Dental Pro 3D Scanner and imported to MeshLab 2025.7 where indirect facial measurements were performed. Trueness was defined by the proximity of indirect and direct facial measurements, while precision was assessed through comparison of indirect measurements from two subsequent smartphone-based scans. Statistical analysis was performed with Jamovi 2.6.26.0.

Results: The study included 40 participants, equally distributed between dentofacial deformity and control groups. In trueness analysis, mean differences ranged from -3.32 mm to 0.83 mm, with an overall mean difference of -1.47 mm. Systematic bias was statistically significant (p < 0.05) for all measurements, except for N-Sn. Precision analysis demonstrated mean differences < 0.40 mm, with an overall mean difference of 0.14 mm, without statistically significant systematic bias (p > 0.05). Comparison of trueness and precision between individuals with and without dentofacial deformities revealed no statistically significant differences for most measurements.

Conclusion: Indirect facial anthropometric analysis using Qlone Dental Pro 3D Scanner demonstrated high precision but limited trueness compared with conventional direct measurements. The presence of dentofacial deformity did not significantly influence indirect measurement performance.