Comparison of smile perception by orthodontists and other specialty dentists

Abstract

Introduction: As the orthodontist align and correct the malocclusion, they show a great deal of attention to any dental asymmetry (1). During orthodontic diagnosis and treatment planning, it is very essential to assess and estimate the location of the midline of the dentition in relation with the midline of the face (2).
Material and Methods: In dental and orthodontic OPD at Liaquat University of Medical and health sciences, the data was collected from August 2018 to February 2019. 76 participants from orthodontists and other specialty dentists who met inclusion criteria were included in the study. According to the field of the participants they were grouped into four groups. They were asked to select the preferred smile of 3 modified pictures of Deviated Upper Dental Midline position (i.e. 1mm, 2mm & 3mm) to the left from the midline of the face.
Results: There was no notable contrast in the perception of the deviated upper dental midline to facial midline by orthodontists and other specialty dentists (P-value 0.566). Majority of the participants in this study preferred 1 mm UMD to the left and this shows that despite the shift in the upper dental midline the participants preferred the least deviation as acceptable as to more deviation.
Conclusion: It is concluded that both specialties who evaluated the smile showed no remarkable difference between them in their smile assessment.