[Aesthetic preferences of individuals when evaluating photographs of facial profiles with different sagittal and vertical growth patterns. A cross-sectional study].

Objective: To evaluate the aesthetic preferences of individuals by observing photographs of different facial profiles with different sagittal and vertical growth patterns.

Materials and methods: Cross-sectional study that evaluated 300 students from a private university. Edited photographs of a man and a woman were used. The maxilla being moved in a vertical direction while the mandible was moved in a sagittal direction, various combinations of the photographic profile of the two individuals were created. These movements created 9 photographic profiles for the woman and the man; for intra-observer reliability, two photo profiles of both sexes were duplicated. Chi square tests and binary logistic regression were used. P<0.05.

Results: In general, the evaluated individuals mostly preferred the type 6 profile (65.7%), followed by the type 5 profile (21.7%) (slightly convex). It was found that for every year of age that an individual increases, there is a 31% greater chance of choosing one of these profiles.

Conclusions: Both sexes prefer a straight or slightly convex profile, and as age increases, individuals prefer a straight profile.