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. 2010 Mar;80(2):322-8.
doi: 10.2319/040409-194.1.

The role of the posed smile in overall facial esthetics

David C Havens  1 , James A McNamara Jr, Lauren M Sigler, Tiziano Baccetti
Affiliations

The role of the posed smile in overall facial esthetics

David C Havens et al. Angle Orthod. 2010 Mar.

Abstract

Objective: To evaluate the role of the posed smile in overall facial esthetics, as determined by laypersons and orthodontists.

Materials and methods: Twenty orthodontists and 20 lay evaluators were asked to perform six Q-sorts on different photographs of 48 white female subjects. The six Q-sorts consisted of three different photographs for each of two time points (pre- and posttreatment), as follows: (1) smile-only, (2) face without the smile, and (3) face with the smile. The evaluators determined a split-line for attractive and unattractive images at the end of each Q-sort. The proportions of attractive patients were compared across Q-sorts using a Wilcoxon signed-rank test for paired data. The evaluators also ranked nine facial/dental characteristics at the completion of the six Q-sorts.

Results: Evaluators found the pretreatment face without the smile to be significantly more attractive than the face with the smile or the smile-only photographs. Dissimilar results were seen posttreatment; there was not a significant difference between the three posttreatment photographs. The two panels agreed on the proportion of "attractive" subjects but differed on the attractiveness level of each individual subject.

Conclusions: The presence of a malocclusion has a negative impact on facial attractiveness. Orthodontic correction of a malocclusion affects overall facial esthetics positively. Laypeople and orthodontists agree on what is attractive. Overall facial harmony is the most important characteristic used in deciding facial attractiveness.

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Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
Smile-only photograph created by using a 3 × 5–inch grid.
Figure 2
Figure 2
Face without the smile region visible. The smile region is blocked by a gray box.
Figure 3
Figure 3
Face with the smile region visible.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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