Which of the nine facial profiles according to AM Schwarz is the most (un)attractive?

Abstract

Objective: The human profile has always been fascinating to artists, scientists, and physicians. In the mid 20th century, AM Schwarz created a profile analysis for orthodontics, which categorizes both the sagittal position of the midface as well as the position of the chin, and is still widely used today. In combination, this analysis leads to nine different profile types, which are assumed to differ in terms of their attractiveness. Since there has been hardly any scientific research in this area so far, the aim of this study was to quantify the attractiveness of the nine profile types according to AM Schwarz.

Methods: The "Basel face model" is a three-dimensional (3D) facial dataset that was created artificially by morphing a total of 100 female and 100 male 3D face scans. For the present study, this face model was modified to ideally represent all nine profile types according to AM Schwarz. The representation of those nine facial models depicted in a standardized lateral perspective were assessed in terms of attractiveness by 1261 volunteers of different ages and educational level. The ratings were statistically analyzed using repeated measures analysis of variance (ANOVA) and pairwise comparisons.

Results: The results revealed significant differences in attractiveness regarding the nine profile types. Average faces were perceived significantly more attractive than antefaces and these in turn were perceived more attractive than retrofaces. Furthermore, straight and backward-slanting profiles were rated significantly more attractive than forward-slanting profiles. There were no clinically relevant differences between the assessments of males and females or between raters of different educational levels.

Conclusion: The perceived attractiveness of the nine profile types according to AM Schwarz differed significantly. This perception did not seem to be affected by gender or the level of education.