The 3D Facial Norms Project: A Phenotypic and Genotypic Repository

Objective: Very few resources are currently available for researchers in need of anthropometric normative data on the human craniofacial complex. Such norms are invaluable for researchers interested in studying patterns of normal human facial variation and growth and as a source of control data in morphological comparative studies.  All existing publically available normative datasets share a number of serious shortcomings, relating principally to the limited kinds of data available and restrictions imposed on the ways users can access, interact and analyze the information.  These limitations have led to a great demand for new normative data resources.  As part of NIDCR’s FaceBase initiative, the 3D Facial Norms Project is creating a scalable, secure web-based data repository comprised of 3D facial surfaces, facial measurements, demographic descriptors and genome-wide markers accessible to the research and clinical community.

Method: Our target for enrollment is 3500 healthy European-Caucasian males and females between 3-40 years of age.  Recruitment is currently taking place in three US sites: Pittsburgh, Seattle, and Houston.  At each site, eligible individuals are screened for a history of craniofacial trauma, syndromes and/or facial surgery.  Following consent, a brief demographic interview is conduced and each participant provides two saliva samples for later genotyping.  A 3D facial image is then acquired using stereophotogrammetry.  Quantitative data in the form of 3D facial landmark coordinates and linear distances are collected from each 3D surface model.

Result: At present, the 3D Facial Norms Project contains 3D facial scans, measurement data and demographic descriptors on over 800 individuals.  Both individual- and summary-level data are available for users to search, view and/or download via an intuitive web interface.

Conclusion: As the first publically-available craniofacial normative data repository ever constructed, the 3D Facial Norms Project shows great promise as a resource for the craniofacial research and clinical community.