Aesthetic perception of the smile related to the vertical position of the lower anterior teeth by afro-descendent laypeople

Abstract

Introduction: To evaluate the influence of the vertical position of the lower anterior teeth in the aesthetic perception of the smile of Afro-descendent laypeople from different age groups. Materials and Methods: A standard smile was constructed from intraoral photographs of an afro-descendent individual. The vertical position of the lower anterior teeth was gradually changed by moving the teeth up and down within the lip frame in 0.5 mm increments ranging from -1.5 mm to 2.0 mm, regarding point zero. Using a visual analog scale, 150 Afro-descendent Brazilian lay individuals from three different age groups (15-19, 35-44 and 65-74) rated the attractiveness in relation to 8 smiles with altered gingival exposure. Results: There were no significant differences (p>0.05) between male and female raters for the three groups. All the age groups assigned higher scores for the smiles with 0.5 mm coverage of the lower lip on the lower central incisors. However, for the less attractive smiles, there were differences in the opinions of the age groups (p<0,05).Conclusions: the age groups shared similar preferences regarding the most pleasant smile regarding the vertical positions of the lower anterior teeth.