A study by Italian scientists from the Siena University Hospital found that ordinary people consider the most attractive facial profile to be one in which the upper jaw protrudes slightly forward. The results were published in the Journal of Maxillofacial and Oral Surgery. The authors note that when planning jaw operations, doctors should focus not only on ideal geometric proportions but also on the real aesthetic preferences of society.
The survey involved 135 people: 95 men and 35 women. They were shown black-and-white silhouettes - nine male and nine female - with different variants of jaw relationships. The silhouettes made it possible to remove distracting factors such as skin color, facial hair or eye shape. Participants rated the attractiveness of each profile on a scale from one (unattractive) to five (very attractive). So that the previous image would not influence perception of the next, a black screen was shown for five seconds between presentations.
The normal profile, taken as the reference point, received an average score on average. But profiles with a forward-protruding upper jaw (prognathia) received high scores: more than thirty percent of participants gave them four out of five for both male and female silhouettes.
The least attractive were profiles with a protruding lower jaw (commonly, a "protruding chin") and with mismatched jaws, for example when the upper jaw is slanted back and the lower jaw protrudes. Such images most often received low ratings.
Interestingly, perception of a backward-slanted upper jaw (retrognathia) depended on the sex of the silhouette. The female profile with this feature was rated at the minimum score by most participants, whereas the male profile with the same jaw relationship was considered neutral.
Some profile changes did not show statistically significant differences from the norm. Thus, a backward-slanted lower jaw, as well as cases where both jaws protrude or both are slanted, were rated as average by most respondents.
The authors emphasize that the data obtained are important for planning orthognathic operations - surgical interventions in which the jaw bones are moved into the correct position. For example, in a Le Fort I operation the upper jaw is cut above the teeth and shifted forward or backward, while in a sagittal osteotomy the lower jaw is corrected similarly. The position of the lips and chin depends on how many millimeters the bone is shifted. The survey shows that a slightly protruding upper jaw may give a result more attractive to others than striving for a perfectly flat profile.
The study has limitations. A sample of 135 people does not reflect the entire population: there were almost three times as many men as women, so the ratings may have shifted toward male preferences. In addition, there are few older participants, and age affects perception of faces. The authors call for larger studies with balanced groups and a broad age range so that surgeons can take changing standards of appearance into account.
It should be remembered: the patterns identified are statistical associations, not proof that changing the jaw will necessarily make a person more attractive to everyone. This concerns the average preferences of a group of participants.