Facial profile preferences of black women before and after orthodontic treatment

Introduction: The purposes of this study were to determine (1) profile preferences of black female patients and (2) whether they can recognize their own profile images before and after orthodontic treatment. Methods: Fifteen black orthodontists, 15 white orthodontists, and 15 black female patients were asked to indicate the images they considered most pleasing and to determine a zone of acceptability for 3 black female profiles. Raters used the PERCEPTOMETRICS computer program (Health Programs International, Wellesley, Mass). In addition, the 15 patients were asked to identify their most accurate pretreatment and posttreatment profile images. Results: Analyses of variance showed that the white orthodontists preferred flatter profiles than the black women, who in turn preferred fuller profiles than the black orthodontists. Significant differences in lip position were detected for most pleasing and midpoint of acceptability among the 3 groups of judges, with no significant differences in any variables measured between treatments in rating the 3 images. No significant differences were detected for the magnitude of the zone of acceptability. All 15 black women recalled having fuller profiles than they actually did before treatment, but they could correctly identify their own profile images after treatment. Conclusions: The results of this study will facilitate the understanding of the physical bases of the esthetic judgments of black and white orthodontists and black female patients.