Facial soft tissue changes following anterior maxillary rehabilitation with different prosthetic concepts assessed using three-dimensional stereophotogrammetry

The aim of this study is to evaluate the effects of different treatment principles on facial soft tissues by dimensional stereophotogrammetry method in patients with total edentulism or partial tooth deficiency localized in the maxillary anterior region. The study included 34 individuals (15 female and 19 male) with total edentulism or partial tooth deficiency localized in the maxillary anterior region who were treated with different types of prosthesis and 10 individuals (6 females 4 males) without the need for prosthetic treatment. The 3dMDface™ (3dMD Inc., Atlanta, GA, USA) imaging system was used to obtain 3D face images. According to intragroup comparisons, an increase was observed in upper lip vermillion length in the complete denture and fixed prosthesis groups, a decrease in the nasolabial angle (NLA) in the complete denture group, and an increase in nose width in the complete denture and hybrid prosthesis groups. There was no difference in linear and angular measurements between different prosthetic treatment concepts, except for the nasolabial angle (NLA) and upper lip length parameters, which are known to affect facial aesthetics. A significant change was observed in the nasolabial angle value used in lip projection evaluation only in the complete denture group.