Esthetic perception of smile components by orthodontists, general dentists, dental students, artists, and laypersons.

Abstract

In the present study, we sought to assess the esthetic perception and level of acceptability of variations in smile components, including dental midline, buccal corridor, vertical lip thickness, and the golden ratio, by orthodontists, general dentists, dental students, artists, and laypersons. An attractive female smile was digitally manipulated with regard to four smile components: dental midline, buccal corridor, vertical lip thickness, and the golden ratio. The manipulated photographs (n=27) were randomly arranged in a photo album and scored by five groups of raters (n=50 in each group) from zero to 100 using a horizontal visual analog scale. The acceptability threshold of each component by the five groups was calculated using the Spearman and Wilcoxon tests. Orthodontists and laypersons had the same perception of midline deviations, with an acceptability threshold lower than that of artists and general dentists. Only orthodontists perceived variations of buccal corridor (by 20%). Changes in vertical lip thickness were not perceived by any group. Orthodontists, general dentists, and laypersons had similar perceptions of variations in the golden ratio. Dental students and artists did not perceive variations in this component. Professional dental training can affect the esthetic judgement of smiles in individuals.