Orthodontist's Perceptions of Smile EstheticsA Questionnaire Based Study

The objective of the present study is to assess the of orthodontists perceptions of smile esthetics. This study attempted to determine what orthodontists find important when treatment planning a case, finishing a case, and generally improving a patient’s smile esthetics. Materials and method This study was performed by presenting a closed questionnaire to a random sample of participants who were practicing orthodontics. The questionnaire was distributed through personal contact and e-mail. A total of 102 orthodontists participated in the survey. The survey was composed of eight questions relating to important aspects of smile esthetics and two questions that established the survey demographics. Results Among 102 responders, 68.3%[n=69] were practicing between 1 to 5 years, 69.6%[n=71] were female,33.3%[n=34] considered smile arch is the important extraoral feature of smile, 30.4%[n=31] considered tooth size and shape is the important intraoral feature of smile, 80.4%[n=82] considered arch expansion have effects on smile esthetics , 57.4%[n=58] considered there is no effect of four premolar extractions on smile esthetics, 80.2%[n=81] considered centering the maxillary midline with facial midline is more important than centering the maxillary and mandibular midlines with each other, 50%[n=51] considered the acceptable amount of gingival display during smiling is about 1 mm, 55.9%[n=57] considered Hypodontia, Reversed curvature of occlusal plane, Diestema, Gingival smile[All the above] to be totally unacceptable aesthetics. 75.2%[n=76] considered 3-Dimensional smile design software is the most accurate method to do smile analysis Conclusion According to this survey, over 80 % of orthodontists considered arch expansion have effects on smile esthetics and centering the maxillary midline with facial midline is more important than centering the maxillary and mandibular midlines with each other. In addition, many (57.4%) orthodontists feel that four premolar extractions will not cause harm to smile esthetics. Most of the orthodontists [75.2%[n=76] considered 3-Dimensional smile design software is the most accurate method to do smile analysis However, the above results are based on individual perceptions on smile esthetics and it seems to be varying among individuals. Hence evidence-based studies on smile esthetics will be more reliable to study the smile esthetic