Facial attractiveness and the aged.
This study examined the relationship between dentofacial appearance and judgments of facial attractiveness in a sample of 60 subjects between ages 65 and 75. Subjects completed questionnaires regarding their current dental appearance and level of satisfaction with their facial attractiveness. Subjects then viewed and ranked four sets of five photographs that had been digitally manipulated to simulate common dental defects. Regardless of background facial attractiveness or gender of stimulus photographs, a specific ranking order for dental defects emerged with rank-order correlations in the 90% range. Findings suggest that dental appearance affects judgments of facial attractiveness regardless of gender or background facial attractiveness.
York
J
J
Department of General Dentistry and Community Health, UMDNJ-New Jersey Dental School, Newark, NJ, USA.
Holtzman
J
J
D000368:Aged; D000375:Aging / Q000523:psychology*; D001294:Attitude to Health; D003731:Dental Caries / Q000523:psychology; D019232:Dental Restoration Failure; D003970:Diastema; D004954:Esthetics; D004955:Esthetics, Dental; D005145:Face / Q000033:anatomy & histology*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007180:Incisor / Q000033:anatomy & histology; D007600:Judgment; D008297:Male; D008310:Malocclusion / Q000523:psychology; D010549:Personal Satisfaction; D012649:Self Concept; D012923:Social Class; D013223:Statistics as Topic; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires; D014076:Tooth Diseases / Q000523:psychology; D014082:Tooth Fractures / Q000523:psychology; D016388:Tooth Loss / Q000523:psychology