Perceptions of facial proportions and lip competency on facial attractiveness among people of Telangana origin

Abstract

Context: Modern orthodontics focuses on soft tissue paradigms. Successful treatment outcomes are dependent on the patient's self-impression. Understanding individual differences in perception of facial attractiveness across orthodontics, their patients and other dental specialists would help obtain optimal and satisfactory results. Aim: To determine facial frontal proportions and lip position preferences among lay people, general dentists, specialists, and orthodontists to estimate differences in perceptions. Materials and Methods: 200 raters divided into Group 1 [50 each of orthodontists, general dentists, specialist dentists (oral surgeons, endodontists, periodontists, prosthodontists, and pedodontists)] and Group 2 (50 lay individuals of Telangana origin) participated in a questionnaire-based survey comprising photographs of one male and one female of Telangana origin with mesoprosopic faces and competent lips morphed as leptoprosopic and euryprosopic with lip positions morphed as potentially incompetent and incompetent. Raters evaluated and ranked each set of three altered frontal images on a 3-point Likert scale and lips on a 6-point Likert scale. Statistical Analysis Used: Means and standard deviation for the entire sample population and independently for gender and professional groups were obtained. Mann–Whitney test to compare rankings of each male and female image according to gender and Kruskal–Wallis test to compare rankings of male and female images between the four groups were done. Results: Mesoprosopic faces were most attractive in males and females followed by leptoprosopic and euryprosopic patterns. Male and female subject values did not differ significantly when analyzed. Orthodontists and specialist dentists found mesoprosopic male and female faces to be most attractive. Euryprosopic female faces were deemed more acceptable by lay public. Competent lip images were found to be most attractive. Potentially incompetent lips in males and incompetent lips in females were least attractive. Conclusion: These findings can assist orthodontists in treatment planning. Lower facial height changes can be assessed, and effects on overall patient esthetics can be determined for treatment results to closely mimic patient expectations.