Abstract: Objective To compare the facial aesthetic assessment of orthodontic treatment between orthodontists and orthodontic patients,and between men and women,via Q-sort method subjective evaluation of the facial aesthetics. Methods Q-sort method was used to evaluate the facial aesthetic assessment of 20 experienced orthodontists (7 men,13 women) and 25 patients (13 men and 12 women),through rating clinical photographs of 96 post-orthodontic patients（48 men and 48 women）; Kappa agreement and McNemar test were used to analyze similarities and differences between orthodontists and patients,and between men and women. Results The survey on male facial appearance indicated more similarities shared by orthodontists and orthodontic patients,and higher agreement between men and women; while the survey of female facial appearance,showed more differences between orthodontists and orthodontic patients,with a lower conformity between men and women raters.Men tend to be more satisfied with the facial appearance than women,but the tendency is not obvious. Conclusions Orthodontists and orthodontic patients have a higher conformity in facial appearance assessment; while men and women have lower conformity in facial aesthetic assessment.

Key words: facial aesthetics, Q-sort, aesthetic evaluation