Three-Dimensional Analysis of the Correlation Between Anterior Tooth Form and Face Shape

Abstract

Traditional esthetic guidelines and denture-tooth selection protocols suggest a correlation between a patient's face and anterior tooth shapes. This study examined the correlation between face shape, maxilla shape, and maxillary anterior tooth form with fully automated algorithms. Three-dimensional digital datasets of the faces and maxillae were obtained from 117 people. Correlation was analyzed using canonical correlation analysis, ridge regression, and the Hausdorff-distance. A weak but not statistically significant correlation between face and tooth shape could be identified. However, a good prediction of tooth shape from the facial data was not possible. The described approach revealed a weak correlation between face shape and tooth shape, but the outcome was not accurate enough for clinical use.

Evolution of Aesthetic Dentistry

“…He suggested that tooth shape should be determined by the facial outline. However, a recent study that compared 3-dimensional (3D) tooth and face scans could not find a correlation between face shape and anterior tooth shapes (Wegstein et al 2014). While a similar 3D analysis suggested subtle differences between the anterior teeth in males and females (Horvath et al 2012), the long-standing paradigm that women should have round, soft, delicate teeth (ovoid) and men should have square, angular teeth has never been verified, and there is no scientifically validated protocol on how to select a patient's tooth shape.…”

“…Classic aesthetic evaluation and treatment guidelines were based on 2-dimensional measurements. Clinical studies that include 3D surface analyses of scanned teeth and faces revealed findings that were often in contrast to traditional paradigms and "classic" studies on aesthetic parameters (Horvath et al 2012;Nold et al 2014;Wegstein et al 2014). Faces and smiles are not absolutely symmetric but rather dynamic (Hambridge 1921), which has to be considered when natural and harmonic smiles are designed and planned (Silva et al 2019).…”