Facial asymmetry in non-syndromic subjects: parents-offspring correlation

OBJECTIVES: This study aimed to analyze the hereditary component of facial asymmetry through the aesthetic analysis of frontal facial photographs of patients and their parents.

METHODS: A sample of 112 patients aged between 6 and 18 years with different degrees of facial asymmetry was selected. Anthropometric measurements of patients and parents were recorded through frontal photographic analysis.

RESULTS: Overall, 46.4% of patients showed mandibular asymmetry. Only 17.2% of patients exhibited asymmetry at the zygomatic level. Interestingly, 75.2% of the patients had at least one parent with a detectable degree of facial asymmetry.

CONCLUSIONS: These findings suggest that certain subjects have a greater genetic predisposition to develop asymmetrical traits when they are detectable in their parents, particularly in the lower third of the face.

CLINICAL SIGNIFICANCE: Understanding the hereditary contribution to facial asymmetry has relevant clinical implications in orthodontics, maxillofacial surgery, and early growth monitoring. The findings of this study suggest that children whose parents present facial asymmetry—particularly in the lower third of the face—have a higher likelihood of developing similar traits. Recognizing this familial pattern may support clinicians in identifying at-risk patients earlier, improving diagnostic accuracy, and guiding timely preventive or interceptive treatment strategies during craniofacial growth. Although genetic factors appear to play a key role, environmental and functional influences must also be considered; therefore, a combined genetic–epigenetic approach to patient evaluation may enhance personalized treatment planning and long-term outcomes.

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