The enigma of facial beauty: esthetics, proportions, deformity, and controversy.

The study of the face and the ability to alter its form have fascinated mankind for thousands of years. The clinical ability to alter dentofacial form, whether through orthodontics, facial growth modification, or surgery, requires an understanding of facial beauty, including the evaluation of facial esthetics, proportions, and symmetry. The purposes of this article were to give a brief contemporary overview of our concepts of facial beauty and esthetics and to consider a long-standing and controversial debate on the treatment of patients with dentofacial deformities.

Results of the questionnaire on orthodontic boards.

There has been a proliferation of Orthodontic Boards across the world but there is no uniformity in standards, purposes or in the type of examination. In order to promote discussion at the International Orthodontic Congress in Paris in September 2005 a questionnaire was sent out to 80 Orthodontic Societies on the World Federation of Orthodontists list. There was a limited response to the questionnaire but the results are described in this paper. It illustrated that there were mainly two types of Board, mandatory ones that acted to license the Orthodontist in that country on the Specialist register and voluntary ones where the orthodontist demonstrates his excellence. The paper describes the answers to the various questions asked on the purpose, eligibility and type of examination of the Boards. They were also asked about the feasibility of an International Board. This was rejected as an option but an affiliation of Boards was recommended.

Three-dimensional assessment of the relative contribution of genetics and environment to various facial parameters with the twin method.

The purpose of this prospective study was to help distinguish the relative contributions of heredity and environment to the external facial features and to assess the relative strength of the genetic influence on anteroposterior and vertical facial parameters, by using 3-dimensional optical surface scanning and the inferential twin method. The subject group consisted of 10 pairs of monozygotic twins (5 male, 5 female, mean age 11.9 years), 10 pairs of same-sex dizygotic twins (3 male, 7 female, mean age 12.1 years), and 6 mixed-sex dizygotic twin pairs. Two methods of analysis were used on the 3-dimensional scans. Interlandmark measurements of 28 facial parameters were recorded, and the mean intrapair differences for each parameter were compared between the monozygotic and dizygotic groups. The second method used the analysis of surface shape for all twin pairs. This technique characterizes the face by using 9 surface shapes distinguished visually by color, allowing a qualitative description of the differences between monozygotic and dizygotic twin pairs. Analysis of the 28 facial parameters showed significant ( P< .05) genetic determination for midfacial parameters, especially left eye width, intercanthal width, nose height, and nose width. Analysis of surface shape showed the strongest genetic determination for a triangular area of the midface encompassing the orbital rims, intercanthal area, and nose. The concordance for vertical and anteroposterior facial parameters was found to be greater in monozygotic twins than in dizygotic twins. The concordance for vertical facial dimensions of the middle and lower anterior parts of the face was found to be greater than that for anteroposterior facial dimensions in monozygotic twins.