AHRAM HASAN AL SHAREAA GOKSU TRAKYALI
Aydın Dental Journal - 2024;10(1):35-45
Objectives: The perception of facial attractiveness plays a significant role in social interactions and self-esteem. This study aimed to investigate the influence of different maxillary incisor inclinations and lower anterior facial heights on the perception of beauty, as well as to identify the threshold at which these variables begin to affect facial attractiveness. Materials and Methods: A female patient’s smiling extraoral profile photograph with ideal skeletal relation and Class I dental relationship along with an ideal overjet, and overbite served as the base image. Digital alterations were made to create three different lower-anterior-facial-height variables: reduced, normal, and increased. Each variable was combined with seven different maxillary incisor inclinations. These modified images were then evaluated by three different groups: orthodontists (OR), clinicians (CL), and laypeople (LP), using a Likert-type scale. Statistical analysis was conducted using SPSS version 25 (IBM, New York, NY), with a significance level set to p<0.05. Results: For normal, reduced, and increased lower-facial-height LP and CL preferred 5º retroclined maxillary incisor, while OR preferred normal inclinations (87º). All groups displayed greater criticality toward reduced lower-facial-height when scoring incisor inclination. The most significant difference (p=0.000) among the groups was observed in the reduced lower-facial-height alteration with +5º incisor inclination. Here, most of OR (60%) and half of CL (50%) rated it as average, whereas half of LP (50%) as unattractive. Conclusion: OR favoured normal and slightly labial (+5º) crown-torque, while showing resistance towards lingual crown inclination across all variables of lower-facial-height. However, LP and CL exhibited more tolerance towards lingually inclined incisors, contributing to a more feminine appearance. These findings can assist clinicians in making informed decisions during treatment planning, leading to improved esthetical outcomes and patient satisfaction.
