Andreas A Mueller Research Group - Facial and Cranial Anomalies
Andreas A Mueller Research GroupFacial & Cranial Anomalies
Bone
Vessels
Andreas Vesalius: Fabrica
Digital Twins
Microsurgery
Malformation Anatomy
Robotic Assistance
Surgical Simulation
We are a team of surgeons and researchers with specialization in Oral & Maxillofacial Surgery, serving patients at the University Hospital of Basel and the University Children's Hospital Basel. Our main focus is treatment of patients with facial and cranial anomalies as University Center for Cleft Lip and Palate and Craniofacial Anomalies, specially infants born with orofacial cleft. (History of cleft lip and palate treatment) We conduct translational research as members of the Department of Clinical Research and the Department of Biomedical Engineering at the University of Basel. Our aim is to develop optimal treatment strategies with minimal burden for the patient and health care system that simultaneously achieve better functional and structural outcome. We continually strive to achieve our goals at the interface among clinical activities, technological development and biological research through local and international collaborations among multidisciplinary groups.
News from the group
23. June 2026, Budapest, Hungary
Congratulations to Sebastian Gschwindt for successfully defending his PhD thesis!
November 2025
“AI in Dentistry: Faculty and Clinician Impact Award” at the 2nd Global Symposium on Artificial Intelligence in Dentistry, presented by the Harvard School of Dental Medicine, for pioneering automation in pretreatment workflows to enhance accessibility.
Latest publications
Schnabel TN, Lill Y, Weiherer M, Schenk R, Jeyalingam V, Nava Martinez I, Benitez BK, Keller M, Mueller AA, Solenthaler B. An Implicit 3D Face and Palate Shape Model for Infant Orofacial Clefts. Medical Image Computing and Computer Assisted Intervention - MICCAI 2026 Satellite Events, Springer. In press
Lingens L, Barath D, Lill Y, Nalabothu P, Benitez BK, Mueller AA, Gross M, Solenthaler B, An End-to-End System for 3D Reconstruction of Intraoral Cleft Anatomy in Children from Smartphone Video. Proceedings of the IEEE/CVF Conference on Computer Vision and Pattern Recognition (CVPR) Workshops, June 2026, 5571-5578. https://openaccess.thecvf.com/content/CVPR2026W/CV4CHL/html/Lingens_An_End-to-End_System_for_3D_Reconstruction_of_Intraoral_Cleft_Anatomy_CVPRW_2026_paper.html
Gschwindt S, Mueller AA, Benitez BK, Baksa G, Kisnisci RS, Chong DK, Shahbazi A. Musculovascular pattern in the myrtiform area: implications for cleft lip reconstruction. Int J Oral Maxillofac Surg. 2026 Mar 25:S0901-5027(26)00092-5. doi: 10.1016/j.ijom.2026.03.006.
Nalabothu P, Thomas T, Ganesh P, de Macêdo Santos JW, Nandan H, Dieterle C, Surya RR, Cook S, Gosla SR, Mueller AA. Facial-palate correlation in unilateral cleft lip and palate: A data-driven 3D analysis. Journal of Cranio-Maxillofacial Surgery, 54(6) 2026 https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jcms.2026.104516
Nalabothu P, Nandan H, Reddy SG, Mueller AA. Smartphone and AI Workflow for 3D Printed Plate for Presurgical Therapy in Cleft Lip and Palate: Retrospective Evaluation of Outcomes. The Cleft Palate Craniofacial Journal. 2025;0(0). doi:10.1177/10556656251400877
Nalabothu P, de Macêdo Santos JW, Cook S, Muniz F WMG, Lill Y, Benitez BK, Mueller AA, Palatal subunits analysis in unilateral cleft lip and palate compared to controls: A comparative cohort study, Journal of Plastic, Reconstructive & Aesthetic Surgery, 2026,
https://doi.org/10.1016/j.bjps.2025.10.049
Schnabel TN, Lill Y, Benitez BK, Krief G, Coron ST, Prüfer F, Metzler P, Mueller AA, Gross M, Solenthaler B. Multi-linear 3D Craniofacial Infant Shape Model. In: Gee, J.C., et al. Medical Image Computing and Computer Assisted Intervention – MICCAI 2025. MICCAI 2025. Lecture Notes in Computer Science, vol 15969. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-032-05127-1_33
Nalabothu P, Nandan H, Gosla Reddy S, de Macêdo Santos JW, Mueller AA. Smartphone Scanning and Machine Learning for Automated Presurgical 3D-printed Plate Fabrication From Cleft Impressions. Plastic & Reconstructive Surgery-Global Open 13(9):p e7134, September 2025. DOI: 10.1097/GOX.0000000000007134
Sommacal A, Benitez BK, Lill Y, Fernandez-Pose M, Beyer M, Thieringer FM, Mueller AA. Development of Palatal Growth Charts for Unilateral Cleft Lip and Palate Before Primary Single-Stage Repair. Cleft Palate-Craniofacial J. , 2025. https://doi.org/10.1177/10556656251369672