Comparison of the influence of dental and facial aesthetics in determining overall attractiveness.

OBJECTIVE: Orthodontic treatment aims at improving the perceived aesthetics; hence knowing which characteristics play a significant role in determining aesthetics is an important orthodontic objective. The aim of this study was to evaluate among laypersons, general dentists and orthodontists the importance of dental versus facial aesthetics.

MATERIALS AND METHODS: Frontal face smile photographs of eight volunteers (4 males & 4 females), age group ranging from 16 to 24 years were used for the study. One hundred and fifty evaluators (50 - lay people, 50 general dentists and 50 orthodontists) were asked to select which face they found most attractive - an aesthetically pleasing face with a malocclusion evident in their smile or an average face with an aesthetic smile. A questionnaire method was followed.

RESULTS: There was a statistical significant difference in the perception of the faces among the group of the evaluators. Crowding and midline diastema have more of an effect on the perception of attractiveness by laypersons than gumminess or increased buccal corridor space.

CONCLUSION: Facial attractiveness is the dominating factor compared to dental aesthetics in cases where the malocclusion is less noticeable.