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New challenges for reverse engineering in facial treatments: How can the
new 3D non-invasive surface measures support diagnoses and cures?
Luigi Maria Galantuccia
a
Rapid Prototyping and Reverse Engineering Laboratory, Dipartimento di Ingegneria Meccanica e
Gestionale, Politecnico di Bari, Bari, Italy

Online publication date: 17 May 2010

To cite this Article Galantucci, Luigi Maria(2010) 'New challenges for reverse engineering in facial treatments: How can
the new 3D non-invasive surface measures support diagnoses and cures?', Virtual and Physical Prototyping, 5: 1, 3 — 12
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 Virtual and Physical Prototyping, Vol. 5, No. 1, March 2010, 3
12

New challenges for reverse engineering in facial treatments:

How can the new 3D non-invasive surface measures support
diagnoses and cures?
Luigi Maria Galantucci

Rapid Prototyping and Reverse Engineering Laboratory, Dipartimento di Ingegneria Meccanica

e Gestionale, Politecnico di Bari, Bari, Italy

Reverse engineering can give new challenges for diagnosis and facial treatments, offering
3D measurements, impossible to obtain only few years ago, in terms of richness of
information, precision, accuracy and reliability. In this paper the main aspects and
methods for skull and facial scanning and measurement are analyzed, considering
volumetric methods (CT, MRI) and surface approaches (laser scanning, structured light
and photogrammetry). These latter are particularly interesting because they avoid
exposing the patient to ionising radiation and to any biological risk. The EU directives
Downloaded At: 10:20 13 November 2010

in fact require minimisation of radiographic exposure, that will be in the near future
justified only for real diseases, but not for aesthetic treatments and surgery,
orthodontics, and malocclusions. Photogrammetry is very promising for the digital
reconstruction of human faces; it seems to offer the best compromise with respect to
realistic and accurate reproduction, processing time, simplicity and cost of equipment.
New software platforms have been developed to integrate the information acquired
using different tools: photogrammetry, CT/Cone beam computerized tomography
(CBCT), laser scans of dental cast study models. In this way a powerful multi-user
database system can be realised to track the patient’s imaging history throughout the
treatment cycle and to forecast the growth and the results of the treatments.

1. Introduction or acquired deformities, plan and evaluate interventions for

Three-dimensional measurements for anthropometric and
aesthetic purposes have existed over the centuries, being
used by artists and researchers who proposed methods
useful for the definition and representation of human facial
features. A fundamental contribution to the scientific
approach and method was offered in the sixteenth century
by Albrecht Dürer ‘Painter Surveyor and Clear’ in the
Treaty ‘The symmetry of human bodies’: in the second book
in particular Dürer exposed very accurately a mathematical
method for the geometric representation and construction
of three-dimensional human heads with double orthogonal
projections, defining 40 landmark points from which it was
possible to obtain accurate reports of distances, angles and
proportions for the representation over 20 types of human
face (Figure 1) (Pezza 2007).
Anthropometrics is an objective tool for assessing facial
form and detecting changes over time, to diagnose genetic
surgery, study normal and pathological growth and to
verify the results of treatments.
A proper diagnosis is fundamental for any facial
treatment (plastic and maxillofacial surgery, orthodontics)
and researchers tried to find out much more about
‘evidence-based treatment’, following the implicit assump-
tion that ‘the better the available evidence, the better the
clinical judgments will be, and that the better the clinical
judgments, the better the treatment outcomes will be. The
target of each one of these concepts is the complex,
multidimensional, and highly integrated approach toward
the patient’ (Baumrind 2006).
Normally the density of information in the intact patient is
transformed into a series of ‘physical records’, which
experienced doctors consider necessary for the development
of a comprehensive diagnosis and treatment plan, and these
include X-rays, cephalograms, photographs and plaster casts.

Virtual and Physical Prototyping

ISSN 1745-2759 print/ISSN 1745-2767 online # 2010 Taylor & Francis
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DOI: 10.1080/17452751003718652
 4 L.M. Galantucci
Figure 1. Albrecht Dürer: construction of the head of a man and method of double or orthogonal projection (Monge
method) (Pezza 2007).
Moreover, many clinicians believe that the generally high
success rate of treatment is less based on good treatment
planning than on the high level of clinical judgment and
technical skill of an experienced doctor.
In a few words, good treatment outcomes are strictly
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achieved with the experience-driven ability of clinicians to
make ‘in-course corrections’ during treatment. To better
understand how clinicians make in-course adjustments
during treatment, it is necessary to develop rigorous
quantitative and non-invasive methods to improve encoding
and subsequent analysis of the visit-by-visit records of cure
progress (Baumrind 2006).
Radiological analysis is part of the gold standard for the
diagnosis in fields such as orthodontics. However, it is
important to consider that X-rays are an invasive
diagnostic tool. Directive 97/43/EURATOM says that
radiographic exposure is justified only when patient
management depends on the information obtained from
the radiograph. The optimal testing of a diagnostic record
is to evaluate its consistency and validity. It is important to
consider that problems such as aesthetic treatments,
surgery, orthodontics and malocclusions, cannot be always
considered as diseases: often they are not a biological
abnormal state. Thus assessment of the validity of a
diagnostic record is not possible in the absence of the
true state of disease. Therefore, in studies where validity
cannot be evaluated, comparison of consistency between
diagnostic records is a valid alternative. For example, in the
study by Nijkamp et al. (2008) no difference was found
between consistencies of orthodontic treatment planning
with or without encephalograms obtained using X-rays. In
other words, the effectiveness of cephalometrics for plan-
ning orthodontic therapy is not proven; moreover, expo-
sure to ionising diagnostic radiation is hazardous and has
biological risks (Nijkamp et al. 2008).
In recent decades, thanks to the availability of new
systems for detection and measurement, anthropometric
studies were carried out that considered three-dimensional
surfaces (Jones et al. 1997), deepening the analysis of
geometry and 3D morphologies of the major external
tissues of the human body.
Three-dimensional imaging is an innovative approach in
the field of medical disciplines, particularly dental, which is
becoming established both worldwide in clinical and
research fields (Sforza 2006).
The algorithms of image processing applied to the facial
images can develop and improve anthropometric applica-
tions, reducing the time needed for examination; they
improve the reliability of measurements, allowing detection
of clinically important distances and angles, and make
the analysis and comparison of the form easier. Thanks to
the advantages of imaging technology, the use of surface
anthropometrics was extended to the full face, although not
for routine procedures (Douglas 2004). Essential practical
implementation for 3D anthropometrics is the ‘reverse
engineering’ (RE) technique, a technique which allows the
reconstruction of a mathematical computer-aided design
(CAD) model of an existing object. In particular, it is able to
obtain information on 3D facial features of a person and
then to three-dimensionally reconstruct a model of the
human face.
2. 3D Measurement of solids
There are several methods for acquiring data from a three-
dimensional object. They use different mechanisms or
phenomena to interact with the surface, or with the volume
of the object. Figure 2 shows a classification of such
methods (Varady et al. 1997).
 Virtual and Physical Prototyping
Downloaded At: 10:20 13 November 2010
Figure 2. Methods for measuring three-dimensional objects.
For applications in medicine, non-contact methods are
particularly interesting, because any pressure of the touch
probe on soft tissue will influence the precision of the
measurement of the body surfaces of the patient.
The information that can be obtained from the shape of
the human body, especially in facial metrology, has a large
number of applications in medicine (Galantucci et al. 2002,
Naftel et al. 2002), but also for computer animation
(Marschner et al. 2000, Sitnik et al. 2000), for teleconferen-
cing and virtual reality (Shan et al. 2001), for forensic
applications (Introna et al. 2000) and for the realisation of
products that take ergonomics into account (Wang et al.
2003). In this paper only non-contact methods will be
considered.
2.1 Methods of non-contact measurement
These methods do not need touch between a mechanical
contact probe and the object that must be measured:
the interaction is implemented through electromagnetic
fields, light or sound; the system obtains the information
related to the investigation by the detection of the
transmitted or reflected waves from the body. The result is
a three-dimensional cloud of points representing the spatial
model of the body or face. Through the use of software
capable of processing the cloud of points, an area called a
virtual mesh is created, consisting of a collection of many
5
small elements, having triangular geometry, arranged in
space in order to accurately reproduce the body or the face
(meshed model in STL format). Within the non-contact
methods, we can further make the following classification:
. Methods based on transmission,
. Methods based on reflection.
2.1.1 Methods based on transmission: CT acquisition
The main advantages of the methods based on transmission
of energy are the ability to detect the internal cavity of an
object, not visible from the external, and the almost total
insensitivity of the system to changes in the characteristics
of the surface reflectivity of the object (Jones et al. 1997).
Among the methods based on transmission, computed
tomography (CT; or computed axial tomography (CAT),
helical CT, cone beam (CT)) is an important example of this
method for RE. CT uses X-rays with high energy, and the
system measures the amount of radiation that passes
through in different directions. The result is a mathematical
description of high-resolution surface and volume (with
volume elements called voxels).
The reconstruction can be performed starting from Dicom
format files obtained from CT scanning, used for subsequent
processing programs such as Mimics [www.materialise.com],
Maxilim [www.medicim.com], Amira [Enciso et al.], Dol-
phin 3D [http://www.dolphinimaging.com/3d.html], or free-
ware or open source as Inversalius [http://en.wikipedia.
org/wiki/InVesalius] and 3D Slicer [http://www.slicer.org/].
These programs use interactive displays to obtain three-
dimensional representations of objects. They also specialise
in segmentation and image processing in shades of gray to
produce the STL format files, which are necessary for the
reconstruction of the physical object using rapid prototyping
(Galantucci et al. 2006b).
Another key feature is the ability to see the masks in
different shades of colour, incorporating the data input
tones of gray, or highlight the representation of tissues or
organs with different colours. Figure 6 depicts a face and a
skull acquired on the three main orthogonal views. You can
see the yellow colour of bone tissue which has been a mask
for the subsequent operation of growing region, high-
lighting the jaw in different ways (colour fuchsia). This
representation is called tasselled, because the points corre-
sponding to each voxel (in yellow and pink in Figure 3),
have been joined by elements of triangular shape, and
translated into STL format (Figure 4).
CT has been used to obtain the facial morphology in
3D; in addition to more traditional cephalograms and
photographs, they have the advantage of capturing, without
additional computational effort, the information both of the
surface and the underlying hard tissues. But this method is
highly intrusive (biological damage from RX), expensive,
 6 L.M. Galantucci
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Figure 3. Skull acquired with CT (Mimics, [www.materialise.
com]).
and also requires the cooperation of the patient during long
periods of scanning. CT also exposes the individual to
higher levels of ionizing radiation, compared with conven-
tional radiography. Even if cephalometric 2D images remain
the standard, computed tomographic reconstruction (MPR-
CT) is now increasingly used for clinical purposes and jaw
surgery. In recent years, image processing and 3D recon-
struction of the landmarks have been widely applied to
digitised radiographs (Sforza 2006). A new method of
cephalometric 3D based on spiral multi-slice computed
Figure 4. Skull bones and skin segmentation (Maxilim,
[www.medicim.com]).
tomography has recently been developed and validated. This
innovative approach is a virtual bridge between the conven-
tional cephalometric and modern craniofacial imaging
techniques, and provides high quality, accurate and reliable
quantitative 3D data (Hammett et al. 2003).
2.1.2 Methods based on reflection
All 3D scanning systems based on mobile transmitters and
receivers fall into this category (Okada 2001). Among the
methods that exploit reflected energy, these can be distin-
guished as:
. optical methods,
. methods not based on the use of light sources.
Optical methods are probably the most popular systems for
the acquisition of forms of an object; they are characterised
by a speed of acquisition higher than the methods that
involve contact, and are certainly the most used for the
acquisition of surfaces as the easily deformable human skin.
The solutions offered by major manufacturers of equip-
ment for surface measures differ according to features such
as: technology (laser scanning, projection of white light),
building systems (fixed, CMM machines, robots, articulated
arm), or type measurement (scanning surface, scan profile)
(D’Apuzzo 2006). The methods that detect the structures of
3D facial surfaces without the use of photos include laser
scanning of surfaces, Moirè topography, photographs and
contour detection of reflective markers with infrared cameras.
The 3D optical techniques for the acquisition of faces can
be divided into the following categories:
. 3D laser scanners,
. 3D imaging systems based on structured light projection,
. instantaneous 3D imaging systems, based on photo-
grammetry.
2.1.2.1. 3D Laser scanning system. The acquisition is done
by one or more laser beams captured by CCD cameras.
These methods are quite expensive, but also potentially very
accurate. In acquiring data from a non-static object, such as
a human face, there are significant limitations due to the
relatively low rate of acquisition. The subject can move
inadvertently during the acquisition, causing errors in the
final 3D model. 3D facial laser scanning systems (such as
the Minolta Vivid 910) were used in the dental field to
measure the morphology of the face and the landmark
points on the virtual model, in order to assess its reliability
in clinical perspective (Kau et al. 2005, Kovacs et al. 2006).
Two main types of laser scanner can be used for medical
purposes: automatic and manual. Both are based on a laser
scan on the surface, The 3D scanner itself is realised by
combining the electronic control unit with a laser and one
 Virtual and Physical Prototyping
Figure 5. Automatic Konica Minolta Vivid 910i laser
scanner.
or more digital cameras that acquire the images and can
capture data at speeds up to 20,000 points/s.
In the automatic configuration (Figure 5) the laser beam
Downloaded At: 10:20 13 November 2010
is automatically scanned, while in the manual one (much
slower) the laser head is mounted on an articulated arm to
allow additional degrees of freedom for rotation movement
(Figure 6). The arm can easily be handled manually, creating
the best conditions for access to the surface to be scanned
without requiring any other alignment (neither face nor
machine) to a system of reference or pre-positioning. The
result of a 3D acquisition technique is always expressed in
terms of point cloud, i.e. a set of points in space, as identified
by the coordinates (x, y, z) in a Cartesian reference system.
The acquisition gives a representation only of the surface of
the object, and does not detect all the areas not accessible to
the laser beam (interior parts, recesses).
The clouds of points obtained must be treated with
appropriate software tools to remove noise (related to the
Figure 6. Laser scanning done with articulated arm.
7
Figure 7. Point cloud of a dummy head obtained using a
laser scanner.
method of acquisition that results in no real points) and
scanning imperfections such as uneven distribution of
points, irregularities and errors. Figure 7 shows the cloud
of points on the laser scan head of the face of a dummy, and
Figure 8 shows the meshed surface for a real face.
During acquisition with laser technology, the patient
should be supported using special supports to prevent
movement. These can appear in the cloud of points gained
and subsequently a filtering operation is necessary to
remove the extra information. This support also makes
impossible the acquisition of areas of the face under the
same support; thus, to acquire complete data, more facial
scans are needed, and many clouds of points should be
merged. The merging of several clouds of points usually
introduces an overlapping error that can affect the accuracy.
2.1.2.2. 3D imaging systems based on structured light
projection. These systems are profilometers based on phase
measurement [http://www.3d3solutions.com/] or on the
Figure 8. Face mesh of a PhD student obtained using a
laser scanner.
 8 L.M. Galantucci
Moirè fringes (Sitnik et al. 2003). They require the projection
of patterns on the face and acquisition of the images via CCD
cameras that will be elaborated to determine the 3D
coordinates of the points. Data scanning with structured
light on real people can create virtual models of human faces,
such as those shown in the work of Čarnickỳ et al. (2006), in
which an Eyetronics non-contact optical system is used.
2.1.2.3. Photogrammetric technique. The 3D information is
obtained through the acquisition and comparison of multi-
ple images (Hammett et al. 2003, Čarnickỳ et al. 2006,
D’Apuzzo 2002). The techniques based on the acquiring
photos can be distinguished by the number and types of
images used.
These methods are particularly suited to the digitisation of
the human body due to the insensitivity to slight movements.
Photogrammetry determines the position, shape and size of
objects from their photos (Ferrandes et al. 2004). The
method allows to take measurements without contact, and
is based on the principle of triangulation. The photos should
be taken from at least two different positions; three-dimen-
sional coordinates of the points of interest are obtained
through the intersection of ideal lines drawn from each of the
Downloaded At: 10:20 13 November 2010
cameras to the object. The use of high-resolution digital
cameras allows immediate verification of the acquired
images and simplifies the process of orientation.
In anthropometry superficial indirect methods, such as
photogrammetry, have several advantages over direct meth-
ods: absence of contact, and shorter time of interaction
with the patient. Therefore they are less influenced by the
behaviour of the subject. They can also make some
measurements, such as of the eye, that are difficult to
obtain with direct methods without causing discomfort or
injury to the patient (Swennen et al. 2005).
In stereophotogrammetry, in order to facilitate corre-
spondence between stereo images and the reconstruction of
the face, a grid of light can be projected in a random or
structured form.
Examination of the literature shows that photogram-
metric measurements have been performed on the face
rather than on other parts of the body. They have been used
to monitor facial shape and its changes over both short and
long periods of time, during growth and during therapy.
The potential of photogrammetry as a means of recording
the face and its details, was seen before digital technology
emerged, its primary advantage in medical applications due
to the fact that it is based on images: the lack of intrusion
prevents any inconvenience (discomfort), either physical or
mental, to patients (Mitchell et al. 2002).
In the literature there are many applications for the
detection of features from photos of faces, in particular to
the eyes, mouth, nose and lips. Photogrammetry is the most
appropriate measure of the landmarks related to soft tissue,
while direct contact measures are preferable for the bone
landmarks, requiring palpation. Some landmarks used in
anthropometry can be successfully detected by algorithms
for image processing, since they are located at the edge of
the curves and contours (Douglas 2004, Sforza 2006).
In the case of living persons, photogrammetric acquisi-
tion using a single camera is much more problematic than
that of a static object: if the photos are taken in successive
moments, every movement, even very small, can make the
3-D reconstruction impossible. In this case, to avoid any
possible movement of the head, you should use a craniostat,
a device designed to keep the head still during the
photogrammetric acquisition (Galantucci et al. 2006a).
Recently some equipment based on multiple cameras
appeared on the market; these are devoted to surface
anthropometric surveying, in particular of the human face
(Figures 9
12 [www.3dmd.com/, www.canfieldsci.com/,
www.inition.co.uk/, www.dolphinimaging.com/]).
The 3dMD system uses six digital cameras, three on each
side of the patient, rotated inward at an oblique angle. Images
are generated by simultaneous 3D acquisition of structure
and texture, with a capture time of less than 2 ms, with an
accuracy within 1 mm, and a resolution between 1 and
70 polygons per mm2. Relative percentage changes between
images pre and post are more important than actual
measurements of each image. With the 3dMD it is possible
to generate a colour histogram of the differences between the
pre- and postoperative digital images, overlying one another
based on user-specified markers. So colour changes allow the
surgeon to visualise the surgical transformation of the
patient. 3dMD advantages are: simplicity of use, avoiding
any need of markers, or computed tomography scans, or
laser. This system could be used to generate a new cephalo-
metric analysis based on three dimensions (Samson 2004).
The major limitations of these optical systems are primar-
ily the cost, sometimes they are difficult to transport, and often
it is difficult to identify the landmarks on the computerised
reconstruction of the facial surface (Sforza 2006).
D’Apuzzo, et al. (2003) reported preliminary results
obtained with a fully automated test system that detects
facial features by using multiple images acquired from
multiple cameras simultaneously.
3. Photogrammetry and laser scanning: a comparison
It is interesting to compare optical techniques, and particu-
larly laser scanning and close range digital stereophotogram-
metry. For laser scanning, the author used either a manual
Kreon sensor (model KLS51) or an automatic scanning
system (Konica Minolta Vivid 910i). When using a laser
scanning system, in order to achieve good acquisition, the
person has to collaborate by staying motionless throughout the
scanning (15 s). In fact, every small movement could produce
 Virtual and Physical Prototyping 9

Figure 9. 3dMDfaceTM System [www.3dmd.com/].

errors in the resultant point cloud. A special device (cephalo-
stat) must be used to hold the head still during 3D acquisition.
The equipment developed for the photogrammetric ac-
quisition (Galantucci et al. 2009) is simple and low cost:
three or four digital cameras and photogrammetric software
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reconstruction of 3D shapes of human faces (Galantucci
et al. 2009).
Photogrammetry seems to offer absolutely the best
compromise with respect to all parameters used to evaluate
the systems of digitisation of human faces: realistic and

are enough to obtain the 3D information (see Figure 13).
With the photogrammetric technique data processing is
slower, but the information acquisition, that is the time
spent to take the photographs, is very fast (1/5000 s, flash
time). Moreover, although less information about facial
shape is obtained using photogrammetry (less points), the
points whose 3D information are acquired are equally
spaced and cover the entire face and, after estimation of
their spatial localisation, need no further processing.
Previous studies have indeed shown that the photo-
grammetric method is very promising for the digital
accurate (Galantucci et al. 2006c) reproduction of the shape
obtained, processing time of the model, simplicity and low
cost of non-invasive equipment.
4. Perspectives
New software platforms are currently being developed
following an innovative approach to building healthcare-
focused 3D imaging application software tools. They
provide users with a rich, easy-to-use, 3D patient treatment

Figure 10. OMNIATM [www.canfieldsci.com/].

 10 L.M. Galantucci
Figure 11. Surface Imaging International Ltd. Vectra 3D
Scanner [www.inition.co.uk/].
visualisation platform built on an industrial strength
communication platform. Exploiting the principle of Im-
age Fusion, they fuse the surfaces acquired by photo-
grammetry with the CT/CBCT/digitised and dental cast
study models (Figure 14) to present information to assess
Downloaded At: 10:20 13 November 2010
patient treatment options where it is easy to support the
review of the patient condition, and then plan and simulate
possible treatment and surgery, monitor actual images of
progress and make evaluations of outcomes. In this way a
powerful multi-user database system can be realised to
track the patient’s imaging history throughout the treat-
ment cycle for all team members to access at any point in
time [http://www.3dmd.com/]. A new trend is to develop
and to make available to the clinicians algorithms to
forecast the growth and the results of the treatments.
3D textured surfaces are produced to show how a patient
will be transformed after a specific treatment. Specific
options can be used if the patient is treated using surgical
implants. Movies can be also made so that 3D results can
be shown dynamically. This is a powerful and easy to use
Figure 12. Dolphin Di3D high definition facial camera
system [www.dolphinimaging.com].
Figure 13. Point cloud and mesh of the author obtained
using photogrammetry.
tool that has been also provided [http://www.orthovisage.
com/].
It is important to consider that while data on teeth are
best captured from study casts, data on the osseous
supporting structures are best captured from 2D lateral
and frontal X-ray cephalograms or from CT; instead data
on the facial surface are best captured from facial photo-
graphs. It seems to be that the fullest understanding of
growth and treatment processes could be obtained by
integrating data from these several sources into a contin-
uous integrated system, to produce an integrated stereo
model that begins to meet the needs of clinical orthodontists
(Baumrind et al. 2003).
The accuracy and reliability of measuring three-
dimensional facial soft tissues were evaluated on groups
of patients from Swennen for 3D CT and 3D stereophoto-
grammetry. 3D stereophotogrammetry has shown a great
Figure 14. Integration of different non-invasive surface
acquisitions (face done using photogrammetry, dental cast
scanned using laser).
 Virtual and Physical Prototyping
accuracy and reliability, except for bone landmarks. In
contrast, the extent of soft tissue with 3D CT showed high
accuracy, except for hairline, eyebrow, and eyelid land-
marks. The combination of 3D CT and 3D stereophoto-
grammetry analysis of facial soft tissues may allow to
overcome these problems (Swennen et al. 2005).
The study by Ghoddousi et al. (2007) evaluated the
accuracy of the recorded data using 3D stereophotogram-
metry, manual anthropometric measurement, and 2D
photographs. All these three methods showed a good
repeatability. There are clear benefits by using 3D measure-
ments for the assessment of facial deformity. The degree of
accuracy of 3D stereophotogrammetry is very satisfactory
for the measurement of distances, and for surface relief. The
variability of 3D is slightly less than manual, and is
significantly lower than that of 2D. The measurements
recorded with 3D systems appeared to be sufficiently
accurate and reliable enough for clinical use (Ghoddousi
et al. 2007).
5. Final considerations
Downloaded At: 10:20 13 November 2010
The aim of this work was to evaluate the performance of
digital systems for anthropometric surfacing of the human
face. In all cases integration of the methods of acquisition
and reconstruction was also possible using the anthropo-
metrics of the surface of the face.
Stereophotogrammetry seems to have great potential:
this was recently confirmed by the choice made by the
National Institutes of Health Clinical Center (NIHCR) to
use this technique for a wide field of investigation in the US,
Brazil and Peru, on healthy volunteer subjects and patients
with craniofacial dismorphologies to: (1) identify the facial
features of genetic and congenital malformations, (2) define
the facial features associated with the development and
normal growth; and (3) verify whether soft tissue imaging
with stereophotogrammetry can be used to help diagnose
skull
facial malformations (NIDCR 2007).
Acknowledgements
This research has been funded by the Italian Ministry of
Research and University by the Relevant National Interest
Projects Program PRIN 2007.
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