Smile as perceived by orthodontists and general practitioners

Abstract

Introduction: A century ago, the orthodontic paradigm was geared towards achieving optimal occlusal contacts of the teeth and fifty years ago cephalometrics based diagnosis and treatment planning took over the orthodontic world. The present emphasis, however, is toward enhancing facial esthetics and creating a beautiful smile. This is all dependent on the perception of smile which tends to differ between orthodontists and other professionals. The objective of this study was to determine the perception of smile by orthodontists and general practitioners.

Material and Methods: 31 smile photographs were given to 13 orthodontists and 13 general practitioners to rate them on attractiveness by using visual analogue scale on 6 attributes of smile mesh. SPSS version 17 for windows was used to analyze and compare the data.

Results: There was no significant difference in the perception of a pleasing smile between the two groups, but the preferences varied between the two. There was weak correlation for different smile attributes between orthodontists and general practitioners.

Conclusions: There is a difference in preference of various smile attributes among orthodontists and general practitioners in rating them on the attractiveness of smile.