title: Effects of buccal corridors on smile esthetics in Japanese and Korean orthodontists and orthodontic patients.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  The purpose of this study was to evaluate the influence of the size of buccal corridors on the assessment of attractive smile esthetics by Japanese and Korean orthodontists and orthodontic patients.
  
  
  METHODS
  Buccal corridors were modified digitally from 0% to 25% compared with the inner intercommissural width. Using a visual analog scale, 41 Japanese and 25 Korean orthodontists, and 96 Japanese and 72 Korean orthodontic patients (15-29 years old) rated the attractiveness of 6 smiles with altered buccal corridors. The influence of the size of the buccal corridor on smile esthetics was assessed.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Although there was no significant sex difference in judging the effects of buccal corridors for the Korean and Japanese orthodontists, significant sex differences were shown for the Japanese orthodontic patients. There were significant differences in the 6 levels of median esthetic scores for all groups: 0%, 5%, and 10% buccal corridors in the smiles tended to be preferred to the other smiles, to become clinically significant for all groups. The median esthetic score decreased to become clinically significant from 10% to 15% buccal corridors for all groups.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Japanese and Korean orthodontists and orthodontic patients prefer narrow or medium buccal corridors to broad buccal corridors.
authors.affiliation: Section of Orthodontics, Graduate School of Dental Science, Kyushu University, Fukuoka, Japan. ioi@dent.kyushu-u.ac.jp
authors.forename: Hideki
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Ioi
authors.forename: Sangwook
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Kang
authors.forename: Takahiro
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Shimomura
authors.forename: Seong-sik
authors.initials: SS
authors.lastname: Kim
authors.forename: Soo-byung
authors.initials: SB
authors.lastname: Park
authors.forename: Woo-sung
authors.initials: WS
authors.lastname: Son
authors.forename: Ichiro
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Takahashi
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D001291:Attitude of Health Personnel; D001294:Attitude to Health; D002610:Cheek / Q000033:anatomy & histology; D003724:Dental Arch / Q000033:anatomy & histology; D004955:Esthetics, Dental; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007564:Japan; D008046:Lip / Q000033:anatomy & histology*; D008297:Male; D009970:Orthodontics; D009971:Orthodontics, Corrective / Q000523:psychology*; D056910:Republic of Korea; D012737:Sex Factors; D012904:Smiling; D055815:Young Adult