Influence of Proportions of the Nose on Aesthetic Score of an IndividualA Pilot Study

Introduction: Achieving an ideal dental, skeletal and appealing soft tissue adaptation and profile of the patient is of utmost importance postorthodontic treatment. The soft tissue profile is the key determinant of the aesthetics of the individual. Nose, being the centre of the face, plays a major role in determining the aesthetics. But, do morphological changes of the nose influence the perception of aesthetics?

Aim: To assess if the proportions of the nose influence the aesthetics/aesthetic score of an individual.

Materials and Methods: The present pilot cross-sectional study was conducted on 50 patients reporting to the Outpatient department at Saveetha Dental College and Hospitals, Chennai who were randomly selected to participate in this study. Calibrated anterior and right lateral profile view photographs as black and white images were taken. The basal alar width, length of the nose and the nasal index were calculated using software. Each photograph was also scored on a scale of 0-10 by 4 individuals on the basis of their perception of aesthetics to determine the aesthetic score. The obtained data was tabulated and statistically analysed using Pearson’s correlation method.

Results: Mesorrhine type of nose was the most prevalent type of nose in the selected population. With Pearson’s correlation, a negative correlation that was statistically non significant (p-value <0.05) was observed between nasal index and aesthetic score. Patients with leptorhinne type of nose have an increased aesthetic score than mesorrhine and platyrrhine type of nose.

Conclusion: The type of nose does not influence the aesthetics of an individual. The divine or golden proportions are not the actual determinants of facial attractiveness and aesthetics. The golden proportions are one of the determinants of facial attractiveness and aesthetics.