Background: The “rule of thirds” is a universal rule governing facial symmetry and attractiveness through facial proportions. Aim: The aim of this cross-sectional observational study was to analyze whether “the rule of thirds” resonates with a considerable portion of the Gujarati population by evaluating the proportion of upper, middle and lower third facial height. Methods: The study included 202 subjects aged between 20 to 25 years out of which 100 were females and 102 were male. The upper, middle and lower third facial heights were measured by a digital vernier caliper in subjects natural head position. Results: Independent t-test and Pearson’s correlation coefficient statistical analysis were applied on the collected data to evaluate the relation between upper third facial height, middle third facial height and lower third facial height for testing the applicability of “Rule of Thirds”. The significance of the level adopted was 0.05. Males had significantly more (P<0.001) upper third, middle third and lower third facial height than females in the sample population. There was significant positive correlation (P<0.05) between the upper third facial height and middle third facial height as well as between middle third and the lower third facial height but there was no significant correlation (P>0.05) between upper third and lower third facial height in both Gujarati males and females. Conclusion: The “Rule of Thirds” is true for facial proportions in Gujarati population. The finding of this study that there is a significant positive correlation between lower third facial height and middle third facial height is of clinical significance as lower third facial height can be estimated from the middle third facial height during occlusal rehabilitation procedures which restore the vertical dimension proving the applicability of “Rule of Thirds” in dentistry in the Gujarati population.
