Perception of Smile Attractiveness by Laypeople–influence of Profession and Treatment Experience

Abstract

Aims: To assess the influence of profession, treatment experience, age and gender on the perception of smile aesthetics with different buccal corridors and smile arcs, and to identify the threshold where bucca l corridor space becomes aesthetically displeasing. Study Design: A questionnaire-based descriptive study on the assessment of attractiveness ratings by laypeople. Place and Duration of Study:Amman/Jordan, University of Jordan Hospital; Faculty of Dentistry, Division of Orthodontics, from 2010 -2011. Methodology: A coloured photograph of a female smile was digitally modified to produce six smile images with buccal corridor spaces (BCSs) ranging from 0% to 25% and three smile images with altered smile arcs (consonant, flat and reverse). These images were shown to 104 laypeople who were asked to rate the attractiveness of each smile on a scale of one to ten. Analysis of variance was used to study the effect of age, gender, profession and treatment experience on smile attractiveness rating. A one -way ANOVA post hoc Duncan test was used to establish the threshold where BCS was considered unattractive. Results: The most attractive smile was the broadest and consonant smile (7.42 +/