Abstract

Background: A smile is the most attractive feature of the human face, and it is influenced by traditions, beliefs, and personal preferences. Aesthetically pleasing smiles can be achieved interestingly by orthodontic treatments and these can only be successful if there are adequate understanding and compromise of the views of both the patient and the dentist. This study investigates the perception of smile aesthetics among Sudanese populations, focusing on the dental midline, buccal corridors, and gingival display. Material & methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted involving 258 Sudanese participants (60 orthodontists and 198 laypeople). Each participant rated an image of a female photo, idealized in terms of dental midline position, buccal corridor size, and gingival display. All images were digitally modified and the Modified images were rated on their attractiveness. The ranking Scores were calculated and statistical analyses were used to compare the different groups of participants using the Mann Whitney test, with a significance level of 0.05 to assess whether there were statistical different in their rating. Results: There was statistically significant difference between orthodontists and laypeople concerning perception of smile aesthetics. Orthodontists were more sensitive to midline deviations beyond 2 mm compared to laypersons. orthodontists appeared to be more concerned with minor details like the repositioning of the dental midline and the degree of gingival display, while lay people focused less on these aspects. Both groups, however, had similar preferences for the buccal corridor width, in both cases, a restrictive width was favored in order to achieve symmetry in the smile. Conclusion: Understanding the great diversity that exists between the professionals and laypeople in their perceptions when evaluating the smile in orthodontic treatment plans is indispensable. Noticing these differences would help orthodontists to provide a more appropriate treatment that meets patients’ needs and cultural background.

Keywords

smile aesthetics, orthodontics, dental midline, buccal corridor, gingival display, laypersons, orthodontists, esthetic perception