title: The impact of education on the perception of facial profile aesthetics and treatment need.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  The purpose of this study was to evaluate the influence of education on the perception of various male and female Caucasian profiles with respect to attractiveness and treatment need.
  
  
  METHODS
  Four hundred questionnaires were distributed among six groups of raters (nonacademic laymen, academic laymen, preclinical students, clinical students, orthodontists, and maxillofacial surgeons). Male and female profile images were altered digitally in the sagittal and vertical dimensions resulting in nine different male and female profiles. The raters had to assess the images according to attractiveness and treatment needs.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Three hundred four questionnaires were completed in this study. Age and gender of the rater had no significant influence on the perception of profile attractiveness. The different groups of raters perceived the Class I normodivergent profiles as most attractive. Significant differences in the perception of attractiveness were seen between laymen, orthodontists, and maxillofacial surgeons. The orthodontists and maxillofacial surgeons reported treatment needs the most. The orthodontists were most sensitive in discerning profiles.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Attractive male and female profiles are recognizable by any rater. Education seemed to have a significant influence on facial profile perception and recommendation for treatment need of unattractive profiles. Professionals should be aware of their judgment discrepancy to laymen.
  
  
  METHODS
  This journal requires that authors assign a level of evidence to each article. For a full description of these Evidence-Based Medicine ratings, please refer to the Table of Contents or the online Instructions to Authors www.springer.com/00266 .
authors.affiliation: Department of Orthodontics, Bernhard Gottlieb University Clinic of Dentistry, Medical University of Vienna, Sensengasse 2a, 1090, Vienna, Austria, frank.falkensammer@meduniwien.ac.at.
authors.forename: Frank
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Falkensammer
authors.forename: Andreas
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Loesch
authors.forename: Christoph
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Krall
authors.forename: Frank
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Weiland
authors.forename: Josef
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Freudenthaler
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D001504:Beauty; D002508:Cephalometry; D003815:Dentists; D004522:Educational Status; D004955:Esthetics, Dental / Q000523:psychology; D005145:Face / Q000033:anatomy & histology* / Q000601:surgery; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007091:Image Processing, Computer-Assisted; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009970:Orthodontics; D017063:Outcome Assessment, Health Care; D017060:Patient Satisfaction; D019651:Plastic Surgery Procedures; D055815:Young Adult