Evaluation of smile attractiveness factors acceptation including lip form, midline deviation to right and left side, buccal corridor and golden proportion among dental health workers, artists and lay people

Abstract

Culture and ethnicity as well as other variables may affect beauty perception. The aim of the present study was to determine and compare the acceptability of smile esthetic characterizations including lip form, midline shift to right and left, buccal corridor and golden proportion among lay people from special cultures and ethnicities. Methods: Raters (n= 27-37) from 9 cities participated in the study including Istanbul, Isfahan, Tabriz, Doha, Rome, Sydney, Chicago and Yazd. They were asked to rate 27 altered pictures of 4 different smile esthetic characterizations, which were randomly placed, based on the acceptability from 0 to 100. Statistical analysis was carried out with Spearman Correlation test and Wilcoxon rank-sum test. P<0.05 was considered statistically significant. Results: Statistical analysis revealed that: 1. Midline shift, buccal corridor and golden proportion were evaluated differently among the cities. 2. Increasing upper lip size showed no measurable threshold in most groups. 3.1mm increasing the width of lateral incisor might be considered more beautiful than golden proportion. Conclusion: Culture and ethnicity may have certain effect on esthetic perception of smile characterizations