Orthodontics - March 30, 2014 - Vol. 28 - No. 4
Laypersons are not aware of asymmetries of the maxillary canine gingival contours until they reach 1.5 mm.
Article Reviewed: Influence of Maxillary Canine Gingival Margin Asymmetries on the Perception of Smile Esthetics Among Orthodontists and Laypersons. Correa BD, Bittencourt MAV, Machado AW: Am J Orthod Dentofacial Orthop; 2014;145 (January): 55-63.
Background: Both facial and dental asymmetries have a negative effect on esthetics. Are orthodontists and laypeople equally perceptive in identifying asymmetries of the maxillary canine gingival contours?
Objective: To determine the perceptions of smile esthetics among orthodontists and laypersons with respect to asymmetry in the maxillary canines' gingival margins using facial and close-up smile analyses.
Participants: Fifty laypersons and 50 orthodontists evaluated altered maxillary gingival contour asymmetry.
Methods: Smile photographs of 2 male and 2 female adults had the maxillary gingival contours altered digitally ranging from symmetric to discrepancies of 0.5, 1.0, 1.5, 2.0, and 2.5 mm of asymmetry. Full-face and close-up views of the smiles of 4 patients were rated by both the orthodontists and the laypersons using a 100-mm visual analog scale ranging from very attractive to very unattractive.
Results: For both the orthodontists and the laypersons, the most attractive smiles were the symmetric maxillary canine gingival contours. Orthodontists perceived asymmetric alterations of >0.5 mm whereas laypersons required >1.5 mm. For both groups, asymmetries of 2.0 and 2.5 mm received the lowest scores. There was no difference between full face and close-up assessments of the smile.
Conclusions: Orthodontists are more perceptive than laypersons in evaluating asymmetric maxillary canine gingival contours.
Reviewer's Comments: It is not surprising to me that orthodontists could detect smaller amounts of asymmetry than laypersons. The practical application of these findings is that laypersons are not likely to notice canine marginal discrepancies of 1.5 mm or less, and discrepancies of 2.0 and 2.5 mm are found to be unattractive by both laypersons and orthodontists.(Reviewer–John S. Casko, DDS, MS, PhD).
© 2014, Oakstone Publishing, LLC
