Self-perception of the facial profile: an aid in treatment planning for orthognathic surgery

To investigate the difference between the self-perception of the facial profile and analogous measurements of profile photographs in 2 age groups, adolescents and young adults, and adults.

A prototypical Caucasian profile was constructed for each gender by averaging the profiles of 28 subjects with normal occlusion. Each prototypical profile was manipulated by protruding and retruding the lips in 1-mm increments to construct a series of 13 silhouettes. Next, 85 laypeople were divided into 2 groups: adolescents and young adults (age, 15 to 25 years) and adults (age, 26 to 55 years). They were asked to complete a questionnaire that included choosing the facial profile in the constructed series they thought most resembled their own profile photograph. For each group, the difference between the chosen and actual profile was compared using a 1-sample t test. The differences between the 2 groups in identifying their own profile were compared using a 2-sample t test.

The 2 groups were different in their ability to recognize their own profile (P = .040 for the upper lip and P = .006 for the lower lip). The adolescent and young adult group was most accurate, showing no significant difference from 0 for the chosen and actual profiles. However, the adult group was significantly different for both the upper (P = .040) and lower (P = .003) lips.

From our study results, most laypeople aged 15 to 25 years could accurately evaluate the fullness of their own facial profile, although adults aged 26 to 55 years had more difficulty in this evaluation and tended to overestimate the protrusion of their lips.