Comparison of anteroposterior lip positions of the most-favored facial profiles of Korean and Japanese people

Introduction: A consensus on the contemporary perception of beauty might have been developed between different countries because of increased worldwide access to variations in pleasing facial profiles. The objectives of this study were to determine, assess, and compare the ranges of values of the most-favored facial profiles rated by young Korean and Japanese adults. Methods: Average profiles were constructed from the profiles of 30 Japanese men and women with normal occlusions. A series of 13 profiles each was developed for men and women. In the series, the average profile was located in the center (number 7), and the lips were protruded or retruded in 1-mm increments from the average profile. Forty-six Korean dental students and 52 Japanese dental students were asked to rate the top 3 most-favored profiles. Results: Both the Korean and the Japanese dental students tended to select a slightly more retruded lip profile compared with the averages for men and women, and the tendency to prefer a more retruded lip position was evident for the women. Conclusions: These findings suggest that young Korean and Japanese adults prefer a retruded profile, even though their profiles have historically been characterized by more convex facial features.