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Review
. 2024 May 25;14(6):566.
doi: 10.3390/jpm14060566.

Digital versus Manual Tracing in Cephalometric Analysis: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis

Sameer Narkhede  1 , Paritosh Rao  1 , Veera Sawant  1 , Sanpreet Singh Sachdev  2 , Suraj Arora  3 , Ajinkya M Pawar  4 , Rodolfo Reda  5 , Luca Testarelli  5
Affiliations
Review

Digital versus Manual Tracing in Cephalometric Analysis: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis

Sameer Narkhede et al. J Pers Med. .

Abstract

Background: Over the years, various researchers have attempted to compare digital cephalometry with the conventional manual approach. There is a need to comprehensively analyze the findings from the earlier studies and determine the potential advantages and limitations of each method. The present systematic review aimed to compare the accuracy of digital and manual tracing in cephalometric analysis for the identification of skeletal and dental landmarks. Methods: A systematic search was performed using the keywords "Digital" AND "Manual" AND "Cephalometry" to identify relevant studies published in the English language in the past decade. The electronic data resources consulted for the elaborate search included the Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials (CENTRAL), MEDLINE, CINAHL, EMBASE, PsycINFO, Scopus, ERIC, and ScienceDirect with controlled vocabulary and free text terms. Results: A total of n = 20 studies were identified that fulfilled the inclusion and exclusion criteria within the timeframe of 2013 to 2023. The data extracted from the included articles and corresponding meta-analyses are presented in the text. Conclusions: The findings of the present systematic review and meta-analysis revealed trends suggesting that digital tracing may offer reliable measurements for specific cephalometric parameters efficiently and accurately. Orthodontists must consider the potential benefits of digital cephalometry, including time-saving and user-friendliness.

Keywords: artificial intelligence; cephalometry; orthodontics; skeletal malocclusion.

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Conflict of interest statement

The authors declare no conflicts of interest.

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
PRISMA flow diagram indicating the selection process of the articles in the present systematic review.
Figure 5
Figure 5
Forest plot for mandible landmarks [22,25,26,27,29,31,33,34,35,36,37,39,41].
Figure 2
Figure 2
Year-wise distribution of the studies.
Figure 3
Figure 3
Geographic distribution of the studies conducted across the various countries.
Figure 4
Figure 4
Forest plot for maxilla landmarks [22,25,26,27,29,31,33,34,35,36,37,39,41].
Figure 6
Figure 6
Forest plot for intermaxillary relationships [22,25,26,27,29,31,33,34,35,36,37,39,41].
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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