RESUMEN
Objective • To research the effect of malar prominence on the attractiveness of lip position. Methods • A woman conforming to the Holdaway analysis method was selected and 28 3D head models with different malar prominences and lip positions were obtained by 3D MAX software. Then orthodontists (professional group, n=42) and laypeople (nonprofessional group, n=100) were chosen to score the head models by visual analogue scale (VAS). Results • In the case of different malar prominence, the highest scores in the professional group were -2 mm and 0 mm in lip position, but the lip position with high scores in the nonprofessional group varied with the increase of malar prominence; -2 mm in malar prominence was the highest score in the professional group and the nonprofessional group, and +4 mm scores in malar prominence were the lowest in both groups. In the concave profile, the scores of the nonprofessional group were higher than those of the professional group, while in the convex profile, the results reversed. Conclusion • The preference of lip positions among laypeople is affected by the increase of malar prominence; however, this will not affect the aesthetics of orthodontists. People prefer the slightly concave profile and dislike the protruding malar prominence.