The value of the nose width as an esthetic guide in prosthodontics

Abstract

A radiographic method was used to measure the interalar and interalar-fold widths of the nose on 80 men and women. These distances were compared to the subjects' intercanine distances as measure on artificial stone casts. In 56 of the subjects, the width of the skeletal nasal aperture was measured and compared to the intercanine distance. From the results of this study, the following conclusions can be drawn. 1. There was no significant relationship between the intercanine distance and the interalar width of the nose in the 80 men and women who served as subjects in this study. 2. There was no significant relationship between the intercanine distance and the interalar-fold width of the nose in the 80 men and women in this study. 3. The presence or absence of a significant relationship between the intercanine distance and the width of the skeletal nasal aperture was not demonstrated conclusively in this study. 4. The results of this study show that the width of the nose would not be a reliable guide for selecting or arranging artificial anterior teeth, provided one concurs that they should be the same size and shape and occupy the same position as their natural predecessors.