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Influence of dental midline deviation with respect to facial flow line on smile esthetics-A cross-sectional study
Kanza Tahir1, Afeefa Abul Barakaat1, Umair Shaukat1
1Section of Dentistry, Department of Surgery, The Aga Khan University Hospital, Karachi, Pakistan.
Background/Objective:
A contemporary concept states that dental midline deviation towards the direction of facial flow line (FFL) can mask the compromised smile esthetics. This study aimed to identify a range of midline deviations that can be perceived towards or away from the FFL influencing smile esthetics.
Materials And Methods:
A cross-sectional study was conducted using a frontal smile photograph of an adult female. The photograph was altered on Adobe Photoshop software into six different photographs by deviating the dental midlines towards and away from the FFL. A constant deviation of chin towards the left side was incorporated in all the photographs. Forty-three laypersons (LP) and dental professionals (DPs) evaluated those photographs. Independent t-test was used to compare the perception of dental midline deviation between LP and DPs. Simple linear regression was run to identify the factors associated with the scoring.
Results:
A statistically significant difference was observed for picture two with 4 mm towards FFL in the perception of midline deviation between LP and DPs. LP could not perceive the midline deviations up to 4 mm while DPs were able to perceive deviations above 2 mm. The greater the age the better the scores were and female raters had a greater inclination towards poor scores.
Conclusions:
From 2 to 4 mm of midline deviation towards the FFL can be tolerated by LP and DPs.
Clinical Significance:
These findings underscore the importance of considering facial symmetry in orthodontic and cosmetic dental treatments to optimize smile esthetics.
