Objectives: To identify possible esthetic canons in facial size and shape of Italian children.
Materials and methods: The three-dimensional coordinates of 50 facial landmarks (forehead, eyes, nose, cheeks, mouth, jaw, ears) were collected in 220 healthy reference children (4-9 years old) and in 89 "attractive" children of a similar age group selected by a commercial casting organization. Soft-tissue facial angles, distances, and volumes were computed. Comparisons were made with the Student's t-test.
Results: Attractive children had a larger face than the reference children, with a larger maxilla and forehead; overall, their faces were wider and deeper, but less vertically developed. Lips were more voluminous in attractive children, with a higher mouth. The nose was larger in attractive children than in reference children. The soft-tissue facial profile was more convex in attractive children, with a more prominent maxilla relative to the mandible.
Conclusions: Overall, considering that in the analyzed ages body growth and dental changes are very fast and individually determined, all the measurements appeared sufficiently homogenous, and the quantitative characteristics of an "attractive" face well defined. Esthetic reference values can be used to determine optimal timing and goals in orthodontic treatment.