Self-Recognition and Self-Preference Regarding Facial Profile and Its Association with A-Point-Nasion-B-Point (ANB) Angle in Orthodontic Patients.

Objective: To detect any association between the A-Point-Nasion-B-Point angle, self-recognition and self-preference, and to find the association of these variables with the skeletal class, age, and gender.

Study Design: Cross-sectional study. Place and Duration of the Study: Department of Orthodontics and Dentofacial Orthopaedics, Khyber College of Dentistry, from October 2022 to April 2023.

Methodology: A right-sided profile photograph of each participant was taken, and the lower jaw was moved 5mm backward and forward to produce 2 alterations. The participants were shown their 3 photographs, from which they picked the one they perceived to be their original photograph and the one they preferred for themselves. Chi-square tests for association and binary logistic regression were employed to find the associations between the variables. The alpha value was 0.05.

Results: Ninety-eight male and 109 female orthodontic patients, mean age of 17.08 + 4.78 years, were recruited. A significant proportion of participants (51.2%) correctly identified themselves. Every degree increase in ∠ANB reduced the odds of correct self-recognition, and of self-preference for the original profile, by 1.1. There was self-preference for that profile which the participants believed was the original (57%). Skeletal class III were less likely to prefer a protrusive profile (p = 0.005). Patients aged between 15 to 22 years were able to correctly identify their profiles (63.9%, p <0.001).

Conclusion: There is an association between facial profile self-recognition and self-preference. The ∠ANB negatively relates to self recognition. An increase in ∠ANB reduces self-preference for the original profile.

Key Words: Cephalometry, Dental photography, Self-perception, Corrective orthodontics.