The purpose of this study was to compare perceptions concerning male and female ethnic Chinese
facial esthetics. There were 67 dental students (35 men and 32 women) who completed the survey using
a visual analog scale (VAS). The importance of facial features and the attractiveness of 5 facial
expressions were compared in 3 different directional views (frontal, lateral, and oblique). The color
digital images were modified to obtain 6 different proportions of the face and 7 facial profiles for each
gender. The images of the facial profile were constructed by altering cephalometric skeletal and dental
hard tissue in the anteroposterior plane only. The eyes, ears, and cheeks were ranked significantly
differently in the 3 different views. The data were analyzed and calculated using statistical software.
The results showed that different directional views influenced the importance of specific features in
different ways, but not overall facial expressions. Smiling was the most attractive expression and
frowning the least, regardless of gender. The attractiveness of the width or narrowness dimensions of the
face was perceived differently by males and females. A narrow female face was preferred, but the
opposite was true for males. The golden proportion (1:1.618) was not a decisive factor in determining the
facial proportions in this study. A normal straight facial profile was perceived to be highly attractive in
Chinese adults. Bimaxillary protrusion was more acceptable in Chinese female profiles than in Chinese
male profiles. Generally, a protrusive mandible was considered to be the least attractive in these ethnic
Chinese facial profiles.
