Photographic Evaluation, Analysis and Comparison of Aesthetically Pleasing Smiles: A Prospective Study

To evaluate the differences in aesthetically pleasing smiles and compare the smile arc parameters in males and females by dental specialists using photographs.

The study was conducted on 500 North Indian subjects (Indo-Aryan race; 212 males and 288 females) aged 17-25 years (mean age, males=21.1 years; females=23.4 years), with reasonably pleasing smiles. The facial photographs were taken using a DSLR camera. The standardized photographs were shown to 30 judges for evaluation and rated using the visual analog scale. The smiles were categorized into attractive, fair, and average. The quantification of the smile characteristics was done by using an objective method that involved identifying consonant and non-consonant smiles.

The association between smile arc and smile attractiveness was significant (p=0.018) in females. The buccal corridor width was higher among those with fair to attractive smiles as compared with those with an average smile (p=0.018). Most subjects with an attractive smile had a smile arc parallel to the upper lip as compared with most subjects with a fair or average smile who did not have the smile arc in parallel (p=0.006).

Most females were in the fair to attractive category whereas most males were in the average to fair category. The buccal corridor width was found to be higher among those with a fair to attractive smile as compared with those with an average smile. There was an association between smile arc and smile attractiveness in females.