Anteroposterior lip positions of the most-favored Japanese facial profiles

Abstract

Soft tissue analysis is a basic tool in planning orthodontic treatment. However, the components of a well-balanced Japanese facial profile have not yet been established. The purpose of this study was to assess the most-favored or most well-balanced profile from a series of facial silhouettes with varying anteroposterior lip positions by a group of Japanese orthodontists and a group of young adult Japanese dental students. Average female and male profiles were constructed from the profiles of 30 Japanese men and women with normal occlusions. The lips in each average profile were protruded or retruded in 1-mm increments, and the 13 images were arranged with the average profile in the center. Forty two orthodontists and 42 dental students were asked to select the 3 most-favored, well-balanced profiles for each sex and rank them in order of preference. Both the orthodontists and the students preferred a profile with slightly retruded lips. The dental students favored a more retruded lip position for women. The least-favored profile was the most protrusive. These findings suggest that Japanese orthodontists and young adults prefer a retruded profile, even though Japanese profiles have historically been characterized by more convex facial features.