Aesthetic perception of maxillary incisor inclination in smiling profile of different facial divergences

Abstract Objectives This study aimed to evaluate the effect of maxillary incisor inclination on the aesthetic perception of the smiling profile in different facial divergences. Materials and methods A smiling profile photograph of a young woman was digitally altered to obtain three image series with different facial divergences. In each series, the inclination of the incisor teeth was changed in 5° intervals within a range of −15° to +15°. The 21 final images were submitted to 45 orthodontists and 45 laypeople to be rated based on the visual analogue scale. Statistical analysis The data were analysed with the independent t -test, repeated-measures ANOVA, and Pearson’s correlation coefficient. Results The most attractive images for orthodontists were −5° in posterior divergence, 0° in neutral divergence and +10° in anterior divergence. While for laypeople, they were −10° in posterior divergence, 0° in neutral divergence and +5° in anterior divergence. In the posterior and anterior divergent faces, laypeople preferred more negative inclinations compared to orthodontists, but in all three faces, both groups chose the same inclinations as the most unattractive. Conclusions A harmony between the inclination of the maxillary incisor teeth and facial divergence leads to more aesthetic outcomes in such a way that in posterior divergence faces, negative inclinations, in anterior divergence faces, positive inclinations and in neutral divergence faces, incisors without inclination seemed to be more attractive. Also, laypeople tended to prefer more retroclined incisors than orthodontists.