The use of three-dimensional techniques in facial esthetics.

The three-dimensional nature of beautiful faces is analyzed and beauty is investigated by means of optical-surface scanning. This noninvasive technique is described and illustrated and its value in the assessment of beauty noted. Forty men and 40 women with a normal Class I skeletal pattern and a Class I occlusion were scanned and an average face was obtained for each group. The averages were compared with those derived from a group of 9 men and 15 women employed as professional models and the differences were noted. A group of normal Asian teenagers were scanned to investigate ethnic differences. The groups of professional models were further analyzed to see whether they measured up to the "golden proportions" described by the ancient Greeks. The groups did not fit the "golden proportions" and they represented instead a range of malocclusion and a wide range of cephalometric values.