Influence of maxillary incisor level of exposure on the perception of dentofacial aesthetics among orthodontists and laypersons

Does the presence of unilateral maxillary incisor edge asymmetries influence the perception of smile esthetics?

“…This finding corroborates several studies in the literature, which also reported no difference in the evaluation of full‐face and close‐up smiles . Thus, it can be said that other components of the face such as eyes, nose, and hair do not significantly influence the assessment of smile esthetics.…”

“…Another aspect to be discussed is that in our previous study, only close‐up smiles were investigated to assess incisal asymmetries, whereas other authors such as Correa et al and Caramello et al analyzed and compared full‐face and close‐up smiles; however, these studies did not investigate the influence of incisal asymmetries. Accordingly, the present study used full‐face and close‐up smile images of white and Afro‐descendant male individuals.…”

“…A center mark was made on the scale to help the panel members. The midpoint of each line indicated the average level of smile attractiveness, as reported in previous studies …”

“…The photos were manipulated to produce symmetrical images (left to right) and were then retouched to adjust color, brightness, and contrast and to correct lip and skin discolorations. Additionally, the upper limit of the full‐face smile image was the region just above the top of the head, and the lower limit was the base of the neck; the close‐up smile photos included this area only, without showing the nose and chin . All images were compressed in order to obtain an image with measurements identical to those of actual patients.…”

“…The midpoint of each line indicated the average level of smile attractiveness, as reported in previous studies. 3,4,[9][10][11][12][13][14][15][16][17][18][19][20][21][22][23][24] The judges placed a vertical mark along the rating line, according to their perception of the smile esthetics. The scores were then measured in millimeters using an electronic digital caliper (Starrett, Suzhou, China).…”