Abstract
Statement of problem
Multiple esthetic width proportions have been described for maxillary anterior teeth.
However, the esthetic characteristics of each have not been compared simultaneously
to determine which proportion is preferred by dentists and laypersons.
Purpose
The purpose of this study was to evaluate the preferences of dentists and laypersons
with respect to internationally recognized dental esthetic proportions. It also sought
to determine whether a relationship existed among dentists' preferences as per their
specialty and among laypersons as per their academic field.
Material and methods
Two smile images, one male and one female, were digitally modified to meet the golden
proportion and the recurring esthetic dental (70%) and golden percentage. The 2 resulting
sets of images (original images and digitally altered ones) were presented to dentists
and laypersons through a Web-based survey site. The Pearson chi-squared and Fisher
tests were used to assess the differences in the esthetic preferences among the groups
(α=.05).
Results
A total of 363 answers were obtained from dentists and 750 from laypersons. Both groups
considered recurring esthetic dental to be the most esthetic proportion and golden
proportion to be the least esthetic proportion. The dentists' preferences as per their
specialty followed the same trend, whereas the laypersons' preferences were more scattered
according to their academic field. The recurring esthetic dental proportion was preferred
in images of both sexes, golden proportion smiles were the least preferred for female
smiles, and golden percentage was the least preferred for male smiles.
Conclusions
The results obtained indicated that the preferred esthetic proportion both for dentists
and laypersons was the recurring esthetic dental 70%, with the dentists’ specialty
or laypersons branch of knowledge not affecting choice.
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Article info
Publication history
Published online: August 24, 2021
Identification
Copyright
© 2021 by the Editorial Council for the Journal of Prosthetic Dentistry.
