Photogrammetric Analysis of Beautiful Smiles of the Ijaws and Isokos Ethnic Groups

Abstract

Background: A beautiful smile enhances facial attractiveness. Smiles with greater upper incisor display are considered more attractive and youthful, especially in women. With aging, the display of the upper incisors decreases while that of the lower teeth increases. Therefore, increased upper incisor visibility is associated with youthfulness and aesthetic appeal. This study was aimed at investigating the relational or symmetric proportion of the physical features of beautiful smiles among the Ijaws and Isokos using photogrammetry. Materials and Methods: The facial beauty of 400 (200 Ijaw and 200 Isoko) students, 18 to 35 years of age were examined. Using anthropometric landmarks as stated by Cunningham, horizontal and vertical direct measurements were made on the faces with a meter rule. The method includes taking of photographs in anterior and lateral positions of the faces of students who are of Ijaw and Isoko origins. Results: In a smiling state, significant ethnic differences were observed between Ijaw and Isoko subjects. Ijaw males had higher values for most facial parameters except total face height, ear length, nose length, mouth width, nasolabial angle, nose projection, upper lip length, and chin length. Ijaw females showed higher values except for eye width, nose length, and chin length (p<0.05). Both ethnic groups closely approximated Cunningham's standard facial proportions, with several parameters exhibiting perfect or very strong correlations. Conclusion: This study provides baseline photogrammetric data on smile-related facial proportions among the Ijaw and Isoko ethnic groups in Nigeria. Although significant differences were observed in some facial parameters between the two groups, both populations showed close approximation to several of Cunningham’s facial proportions. These findings suggest that selected facial measurements in the study population align with established proportional standards, while broader conclusions about beauty across populations should be made with caution.