Perception of Facial Attractiveness among A Young Nigerian Population

Abstract

Abstract Background: Facial aesthetics have always been an important concern among orthodontists. Current orthodontic treatment philosophies strive for occlusal goals that match with facial attractiveness. A thorough facial assessment should include not only the clinician's knowledge of perceived normality but also the patient's perception of attractiveness. Therefore, it is important to identify and define characteristics of not only a functioning occlusion but also that of a pleasing face. Questionnaires, Visual Analog Scale and objective facial measurements have been used to evaluate opinions regarding facial aesthetics. We therefore set out to assess facial attractiveness ofa cohort of yotmg Nigerians. Methods: This study was a descriptive cross sectional study carried out among the undergraduate medical and dental students to determine the perception of facial attractiveness. A total of 400 subjects, 211males and 189 females aged 18-30 years old from two tertiary institutions using multistage sampling technique were evaluated. Their perception of facial attractiveness was derived from questionnaires and a 100mm visual analog scale. An objective soft tissue facial measurement to determine the facial index was carried using calipers. Data was processed and analyzed using SPSS16 software Chicago II statistical package. Results: The majority of the subjects (97.2%) were satisfied with their facial appearance. Twenty- eight (13.3%) males were not pleased with their faces in photographs while only 9 (4.8%) females were not pleased with their faces in photographs (p=0.003). There was statistically significant difference in the subjects subjective and objective assessment of their face shape (p= o.000l) using the facial index. Subjects rated skin (82.2%), shape of head (81.7%), teeth (81.3%), eyes (77.9%) respectively as the most important features that make up an attractive face on a 100 mm visual analog scale (VAS). Conclusions: We therefore concluded that there was significant difference between the subjective perception and objective measurements of facial shape of subjects. The subjects could not accurately describe their face shape. Almost all subjects perceived their faces to be attractive. There was no gender difference. The facial feature subjects would like to change most was their teeth and this may predict increase demand for dental services in the future.