Perioral age-related changes in smile dynamics along the vertical plane

Abstract

Objective: To evaluate the changes in characteristics of perioral musculature at rest and when smiling, with respect to age and gender, measured along the vertical plane in a randomly selected sample of a North Indian population. Materials and Methods: Perioral musculature of 195 subjects (divided into three age groups) was recorded using standardized videographic methods. Two frames of each subject-at rest and widest posed smile-were analyzed for a comprehensive list of parameters. Data was evaluated using SPSS version 16 software. Two-way analysis of variance and post hoc least significant difference tests were conducted. Results: Significant observations were increased resting upper lip length for females; decreased upper lip thickness, maxillary incisor exposure, and lip elevation for males; and increased smiling upper lip length for both sexes. Conclusions: With age, the smile gets narrower vertically, especially for the male population. The pattern of change observed in the present study must be considered and incorporated during treatment planning to deliver healthier and long-lasting results to patients of all age groups. (Angle Orthod. 2013;83:468-475.)

Upper incisor exposure and aging: Perceptions of aesthetics in three age groups

“…Most orthodontic patients are aged 15e19 years, and the demand for this type of treatment has increased among adults [11]. Individuals within these age groups prefer greater incisor exposure when smiling.…”

“…Comparative studies show the presence of sexual dimorphism in the characteristics of the smile, with higher prevalence of low smile in male participants [9,11]. Men are more critical in evaluating smiles with positive gingival exposure, whereas women are more tolerant toward characteristics of a high smile [10].…”

“…According to Singh et al [11] and Desai et al [12], the smile in older people tends to be transversely wider and vertically narrower. Thus, a smile that does not hold to this pattern can be characterized as younger [4,10].…”

Age-related changes in the Brazilian woman’s smile

“…9 The literature emphasizes that the upper incisor display is directly related to age. 4,6,7,8,9,13,21,22,23,24,25,26,27,28,29 This feature is important not only for the aesthetics of the smile, but also for the attractiveness of the face. 25 Regarding the exposure of upper incisors while smiling (Table 2), a statistically significant decrease was found (p = 0.034).…”

“…As the skin loses volume and elasticity, it can contribute to increasing the wrinkles at the corners of the mouth, thus masking comissures. 22 Nonetheless, the intercommissural distance was measured at rest and showed an increasing trend from G1 to G2 and from G3 to G4, but this change was not statistically significant across the groups. Similar findings reported an increase of 2.71 mm.…”