Greek Cheek

Nobody knew how many Greek children had dimpled cheeks until recently when detailed information was uncovered. A team led by Athena Pentzos-DaPonte from Aristotle University in Thessaloniki conducted a study where they counted the dimples of 14,141 male and female Greek children and adolescents while they smiled and did not smile. The count took place in 1980, and 25 years later, the scientists published their report in the International Journal of Anthropology. The results showed that approximately 13% of Greek children had noticeable cheek dimples while location-wise, left and right-dimpled children were equally common. Additionally, only 3.5% of youngsters had dimples in both cheeks. Pentzos-DaPonte and her colleagues also found that 34% of Greek adults had dimples, which was almost triple the occurrence of dimples in Greek youth.

While Greece has always been a nation that prizes knowledge, few countries know the prevalence of cheek dimpling in any age group. However, such figures can be easily manipulated, such as how Dr Pichet Rodchareon of the Pichet Plastic Surgery Clinic in Bangkok, Thailand provides artificial cheek dimples at the price of $500. In 2002, Dr Xuan Cuong Nguyen of Vietnam presented a talk at the world congress of cosmetic surgery in Shanghai called "An Easy and Precise Way to Make a Cheek Dimple." Nguyen was awarded the title "world leader of cosmetic surgery" just a year earlier in Mumbai, India. If his method proves as advertised, we may see artificial cheek dimple prices decrease, which would be good news for those seeking dimples on a tight budget.