Correlation between Facial Measurements and the Mesiodistal Width of the Maxillary Anterior Teeth

Abstract

One of the most difficult aspects during the selection of maxillary anterior teeth for a removable prosthesis is determining the appropriate mesiodistal width of the six maxillary anterior teeth. Many attempts have been made to establish methods of estimating the combined width of these anterior teeth, and improving the esthetic outcome. The proportion of facial structures and the relationship between facial measurements and natural teeth could be used as a guide in selecting denture teeth. The aim of this study was to verify the relation between the combined mesiodistal width of the six maxillary anterior teeth and the facial segments: the width of the eyes, the inner canthal distance (ICD), the interpupillary distance (IPD), the interalar width, and the intercommissural width (ICm). Standardized digital images of 81 dentate Brazilian subjects were used to measure both facial and oral segments when viewed from the frontal aspect through an image processing program. To measure the distance between the upper canines on a curve, accurate casts were made from the upper right first premolar to the upper left first premolar. The Spearman rank correlation coefficient was conducted to measure the strength of the associations between the variables (alpha = 0.05). The results showed a significant correlation between all facial elements and the combined mesiodistal width of the six teeth, when observed from the frontal aspect. The ICD, IPD, and ICm showed the highest probability of being correlated to the mesiodistal width of the teeth (p = 0.000). This article considers facial analysis with digital photography as a practical and efficient application to select the mesiodistal width of artificial anterior teeth in an esthetically pleasing and natural appearance during an oral rehabilitation treatment.