Difference of Indonesian Orthodontists' and Laypersons' Perception To Lip Positions

Objectives: The aim of this study was to compare the perception of Indonesian orthodontists and laypersons to various lip positions in Indonesian Deutero-Malayid facial profile.
Methods: The lip position in a female Deutero-Malayid profile photo was digitally adjusted in anteroposterior direction from Ricketts' E-line to obtain seven lip positions. These seven photos were then assessed by 24 female orthodontists and 24 female laypersons (25-55 years). Assessment were done with Visual Analogue Scale (VAS) and selection of the most preferred lip position.
Results: Significant differences between perception of orthodontists and laypersons were found for upper lip -2 mm and lower lip 0 mm (mean VAS score for orthodontists 76.2, laypersons 64.5; p<0.05); upper lip +4mm and lower lip +6 mm (29.3 vs. 40.9; p<0.05); upper lip +6 mm and lower lip +8 mm (10.7 vs. 28.3; p<0.01). As for the most preferred lip position, there were no statistical significant differences found between orthodontists and laypersons for both groups selected upper lips -2 mm and lower lips 0 mm (p>0.05).
Conclusions: There were significant differences between orthodontists' and laypersons' perception regarding evaluation criticality toward lip positions in facial profile. However, both groups show same preference for lip position.