Applicability of 3D-CT facial reconstruction for forensic individual identification

computed tomography (ct) is used in several clinical dentistry applications even by axial slices and two and three-dimensional reconstructed images (2d-ct and 3d-ct). the purpose of the current study is to assess the precision of linear measurements made in 3d-ct using craniometric patterns for individual identification in forensic dentistry. five cadaver heads were submitted to a spiral computed tomography using axial slices, and 3d-ct reconstructions were obtained by volume rendering technique with computer graphics tools. ten (10) craniometric measurements were determined in 3d-ct images by two examiners independently, twice each, and the standard error of intra- and inter-examiner measurements was assessed. the results demonstrated a low standard error of those measurements, from 0.85% to 3.09%. in conclusion, the linear measurements obtained in osseous and soft tissue structures were considered to be precise in 3d-ct with high imaging quality and resolution.