Student Theses, Dissertations and Capstones

Document Type

Thesis - NSU Access Only

Degree Name

Master of Science (M.S.) in Dentistry

Copyright Statement

All rights reserved. This publication is intended for use solely by faculty, students, and staff of Nova Southeastern University. No part of this publication may be reproduced, distributed, or transmitted in any form or by any means, now known or later developed, including but not limited to photocopying, recording, or other electronic or mechanical methods, without the prior written permission of the author or the publisher.

Department

College of Dental Medicine

Publication Date / Copyright Date

12-2011

Publisher

Nova Southeastern University

Abstract

December 2011.

A thesis submitted to the College of Dental Medicine of Nova Southeastern University of the degree of Master of Science in Dentistry.

Introduction: This study aimed to investigate the influence of anteroposterior lip position on male and female facial profile attractiveness rankings among three groups of judges (orthodontists, general dentists, lay people) and to determine if these rankings might be influenced by demographic variables such as race, gender, and profession. Methods: Two serial sets of digitally constructed male and female profile images were employed to assess the rank order of preference in profile attractiveness as a function of anteroposterior lip position. A defined image area of the composite profiles, including superior and inferior lips, was "morphed" to produce a "base-line" image defined according to Ricketts esthetic ideal with the lower lip 2mm posterior to the E-plane. The area of the lips were "morphed" in 1mm increments from the "base line" image, six increments anteriorly and six increments posteriorly resulting in a total of thirteen images for both the male and female. The images were then segregated into two sets of 7 for both the male and female. Each set included the base-line image plus 3 images morphed anterior and 3 images morphed posterior relative to the base line image. The Set 1 images were morphed in 1 mm increments, and the Set 2 images were morphed in 2mm increments. Utilizing an online survey, three-hundred and forty-eight adult judges (116 orthodontists, 126 dentists and 106 laypeople) were asked to sort and then rank order the seven images in each set from most attractive to least attractive profile appearance. Results: Relative to the historical norms of the lower lip positioned 2mm posterior to the E-plane, for male profile preference, a more concave profile was most preferred in Set 1 by orthodontists and general dentists while a more convex was preferred by lay people. A more convex profile was preferred in Set 2 by all groups of judges. For female profile preference, the opposite was found, as a slightly convex profile was preferred in Set 1, while a more concave profile was preferred in Set 2 by all groups of judges. Conclusion: Preference for facial profile attractiveness can be significantly influenced by the anteroposterior lip position, and that while orthodontists, general dentists, and lay people were shown to be in general agreement in their profile preferences, there was considerable variability in their esthetic preference between male and female images and across morphs.

Disciplines

Dentistry | Orthodontics and Orthodontology

Keywords

Health and environmental sciences, Beauty, Esthetics, Facial, Lips, Orthodontics, Profile

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