Perception of Smile Attractiveness Associated with Buccal Corridor Space Among Orthodontists and Laypersons Visiting de’ Montmorency College of Dentistry in Lahore, Pakistan

Abstract

OBJECTIVE: To determine the frequency based on the acceptance of absent, presence or excessive buccal corridor space that maybe required for a smile to be apprehended as attractive among orthodontists and laypersons visiting de' Montmorency College of Dentistry in Lahore, Pakistan. METHODOLOGY: A descriptive cross sectional design was conducted to assess the perception of smile attractiveness among orthodontists and laypersons visiting de' Montmorency College of Dentistry in Lahore, Pakistan from July 2019 to January 2020. Both male and female participants with age ranging between 25 - 50 years were included in the study. Each participant was shown 6 digitally altered images of a female patient after which they were asked to rate whether the portrayed smile among the images was acceptable or not. All the collected information was entered and analyzed using the SPSS version 20.0 software. RESULTS: A combined total of 220 participants (110 Orthodontist and 110 Laypersons) who met the inclusion and exclusion criteria were registered in this study. Among the orthodontists the mean age was 28.58±5.96 years and for the layperson was 23.38 ± 2.96 years. The mean total score for orthodontists was 33.28±7.08 and for layperson was 33.50±7.29. A statistically insignificant difference was found between the two study groups when stratified according to gender, however a significant difference was seen upon stratifying on acceptance of smile i.e. p-value = < 0.005 CONCLUSION: Both orthodontists and layperson do perceive that the buccal corridor space does have an impact on smile attractiveness and its acceptance. KEYWORDS: Esthetics, Dental*, Orthodontists, Perception, Smiling