The perception of smile attractiveness.
OBJECTIVE
To evaluate the attractiveness of a smile according to variations from esthetic norms, photographic framing, and the order of the presentation of photographs.


METHODS
A photograph of an individual was selected and digitally manipulated to create the following smiles: an ideal control smile (I), a smile with diastema (D1), a smile with midline deviation (LM3), a smile with deviation from the long axes of the lateral incisors (10D), and a smile with an inverted smile arc (LSRV). The manipulated photographs were developed in framings of the face and of the mouth and evaluated by 20 laypeople. For half the evaluators, the presentation started with facial photographs and, for the other half, the presentation began with the mouth shots. Evaluators were asked to rank the photographs from the least to the most attractive; then, each photograph was awarded a mark (scale of 0.0 to 10.0).


RESULTS
In both presentations, the smiles I, LM3, 10D, and LSRV received favorable ratings, whereas the D1 smile got poor ratings. The photographic framings used (face vs mouth) and the order of presentation of the photographs did not influence the rankings.


CONCLUSIONS
The absence of variations from beauty norms of a smile has a positive impact on its esthetic perception, but variations from the norms do not necessarily result in reduced attractiveness.
Rodrigues
Caroline de Deus Tupinambá
Cde D
College of Dentistry, São Paulo State University, São Paulo, Brazil. caroldedeus@hotmail.com
Magnani
Romeu
R
Machado
Maria Salete Candido
MS
Oliveira
Osmir Batista
OB
D000328:Adult; D003970:Diastema; D004955:Esthetics, Dental; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D023861:Photography, Dental; D010865:Pilot Projects; D012015:Reference Standards; D012904:Smiling; D014796:Visual Perception; D055815:Young Adult