Aesthetic facial perception and need for treatment in simulated laterognathism in male faces of different ethnicities

Abstract

This study aimed to compare the aesthetic perception and treatment need in individuals of different ethnicities with various degrees of laterognathism assessed by orthodontists, oral and maxillofacial surgeons, and laypersons. Three male descendants of different ethnicities were assessed, in which the mandibular deviation was manipulated digitally in different angulations (from 0 to 8°). The assessment was performed by three groups (orthodontists, maxillofacial surgeons, and laypersons (n= 20)), and it consisted of scoring the degree of pleasantness of the images presented in a numerical scale and indicating or not a corrective treatment for the respective image. The higher the degree of deviation, the lower the scores assigned to the image (p < 0.05). Laypersons assigned the highest scores, with a significant difference between laypersons and oral and maxillofacial surgeons (p < 0.05). In terms of treatment need according to the group of evaluators, there were no statistically significant differences among them (p > 0.05). Moreover, the increase in degree of deviation increased the perception of treatment need (p < 0.05). The African faces received the highest scores, with significant differences from the Caucasian faces (p< 0.05). The overall tendency was higher treatment indication for the Caucasian faces, with statistically significant differences from the African faces (p< 0.05). The greater the mandibular deviation, the lower the aesthetic pleasantness. Laypersons are less critical regarding the assessment of mandibular deviation. There was no difference for treatment indication by the different groups of evaluators. In addition, ethnicity may influence the perception and treatment indication.