Patterns of Facial Profile Preference in a Large Sample of Dental Students: A Cross-Sectional Study

Abstract

The objective of this study was to explore dental students' facial profile preferences in a large sample of students. Nine hundred and nineteen dental students of four dental schools were involved. As part of a larger study on dentofacial esthetics, six photo series consisting of one unaltered and four altered variants of the same female profile were distributed among the students. The altered features were ones that are esthetically significant according to the literature. The students had to indicate the photo in each series that they preferred. The data were analyzed in a regression model in which preference in the given photo series was the dependent variable and gender, grade of studies, and dental school were the factors. Eight hundred and sixty-one students (93.7%) responded. Gender and dental school were not associated with the observed preferences, but the grade of studies was associated for three of the modified parameters: chin prominence, the sagittal position of the maxillary dental arch, and the simultaneous modification of the prominence of the chin and the nose. This study has confirmed several earlier observations, and new observations have also been made. We have demonstrated that the anteroposterior position of the maxillary incisors may be an important determinant of profile esthetics, even if this position does not influence the situation of the soft tissues and if the forehead cannot be used as a reference. We have also shown that the harmony between the nose and the chin overrides the importance of their individual dimensions.

Keywords: dental education; facial esthetics; facial profile.

Figure 1

The six series of modified photos. In each series, the unmodified variant is always the middle one. Please note that the photos were not administered to the respondents in this format, but instead were in a photo album, in random order, and without any labeling. This collage was created only as an illustration to ease the interpretation of the results. The numbers in the bottom right corner of the individual images (1 to 6) denote the number of the series. NL: nose length, CP: chin prominence, IOP: occlusal plane inclination, VPM: vertical position of maxillary arch, SPM: sagittal position of the maxillary arch, NC: nose length and chin prominence.