IntroductionAppearance-related attentional bias has been body dysmorphic disorder (BDD) and in individuals with elevated concern; however, it remains unclear whether similar attentional are observed in individuals with objectively verifiable jaw deformities. Appearance-related attentional bias has been observed across clinical populations with elevated appearance concern, highlighting its relevance as a general perceptual-cognitive mechanism associated with appearance monitoring.MethodsSixty patients with jaw deformities and 40 age-matched completed the Body Image Concern Inventory (BICI), a validated measure of dysmorphic appearance concern, and underwent eye-while viewing photographs of self and others’ faces. Gaze duration analyzed across six regions (forehead, eyes, nose, mouth, jaw, and Associations between gaze patterns and BICI scores were examined.ResultsPatients exhibited significantly higher BICI scores than controls. both self- and other-face viewing, patients showed prolonged gaze region. Furthermore, exploratory correlation analyses showed that gaze positively associated with BICI scores within the patient group and other’s faces.DiscussionIndividuals with jaw deformities exhibit elevated dysmorphic appearance concern and increased attention to perceptually salient features. These findings characterize appearance-related attentional individuals with jaw deformities and provide insight into perceptual-processes associated with dysmorphic appearance concern.
Radically different