An Experimental Study on Esthetic Preference and Satisfaction of Lip Position with Various Facial Divergences among the South Indian Population

AIM: The aim of this study was to establish the most and least pleasing lip position and to evaluate esthetic preference in profile view among the South Indian population with diverse facial divergence. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Photographs of 12 participants with an average lip position were taken, and original lip position (Image C) was altered by ± 2 mm and ± 4 mm from the original position of upper and lower lips using Adobe Photoshop 7.0 version. Image A and Image B comprised photographs with retrusive lips of 4 mm and 2 mm, respectively, and Image D and Image E comprised photographs with protrusive lips of 2 mm and 4 mm, respectively. The altered photographs were evaluated for pleasing lip positions by 300 examiners which comprised 102 orthodontists, 107 general dentists, and 91 laypersons. RESULTS: A questionnaire was conducted through Google Forms, and the examiners favored Image C with an average lip position as the most desired lip position, whereas Image E with 4-mm lip protrusion and Image A with 4-mm lip retrusion were the least desired irrespective of gender or facial divergence. CONCLUSION: Importance to establish appropriate soft-tissue esthetics is the primary concern of an orthodontic treatment.