Over View
The human face has enchanted mankind for a very long time. Psychological studies have shown that even as babies we are drawn to faces and that nine minutes after being born, when we can barely focus our eyes, we prefer to gaze at faces than any other object.1 Our faces forms an integral part of our lives and each face can be considered as “custom madeâ€. All faces have two eyes, a nose, two cheeks, a mouth, two ears and a chin, and yet we all manage to somehow look extraordinary different. Our facial features have evolved in response to the environmental changes of different parts of the world and today each of the myriad faces in the word is an expression of subtle genetic mutations.
Although the chin is a prominent feature of a face, it has no clearly defined function. The need for a strong biting action gradually became redundant with the discovery of fire — about 700,000 years ago. Cooking and tenderizing food removed the need for a large strong jaw. It seems therefore that the chin is simply a remnant of our once larger jaw.
The chin, however, forms an integral part of the total facial esthetics and any deformity of the chin will disturb the balance and harmony between the various facial components. The chin is often subconsciously associated with “character†or “personality. A retruded oval shaped chin is generally regarded as a sign associated with femininity, while a strong, square chin with masculinity.
Genioplasty procedures are most often performed as part of the orthognathic surgical correction of dentofacial deformities and the clinical and radiographic evaluation of the chin should therefore form part of the total orthognathic assessment of the patient. For the purpose of this paper the text will concentrate only on the evaluation of the chin, its relation to other facial structures in a “normal†position and the esthetic changes that can be affected by surgery.
