Role of initial facial attractiveness in the perceived aesthetic outcome of convex profile treatment.

Background: Facial attractiveness significantly influences various life outcomes, motivating individuals to seek interventions for improvement. However, the actual benefits of such interventions and patient satisfaction largely depend on the perceived changes in facial appearance. This perception may be influenced by certain mediating factors. This study aimed to investigate how pre-treatment facial attractiveness affects the perceived facial appearance changes in convex profile patients undergoing orthodontic-surgical Methods: The sample comprised 36 non-growing Class II Division 1 patients, divided evenly between treatments, with similar demographics, overjet, and treatment durations. The treatments had distinct effects on the facial contour angle (orthodontics-only: -1.2 ± 2.1°, combined orthodontics/surgery: -6.2 ± 3.9°; Results: The overall facial attractiveness was lower than average (mean: 36.1), with orthodontics-only patients being significantly more attractive than patients that received surgery (mean difference: 8.2%, Conclusions: The study highlights the critical role of facial attractiveness in shaping perceived treatment outcomes. Pre-treatment facial and profile attractiveness were inversely associated with perceived changes, suggesting that patients with initially lower attractiveness experienced more noticeable improvements. After accounting for facial attractiveness, combined orthodontic and surgical treatment was perceived significantly more favorably than orthodontic treatment alone in patients with convex facial profiles. These findings underscore the importance of incorporating facial attractiveness considerations into patient counseling and treatment planning.