Contribution of Smile and Lips to the Attractiveness of the Face Assessed by General Dentists and Orthodontists – A Survey Study

Background and purpose: One major reason for getting orthodontic treatment is to improve one's appearance. The relationship between smile and facial components is not fully understood. The goal was to investigate the relationship between smile and lips as assessed by general dentists as well as orthodontists. Material and Methodology: 60 adult subject patients were assessed for their attractiveness using smile and lip photographs taken pre-orthodontic treatment using the Visual Analogue Scale by 58 general dentists and 58 orthodontists. The statistical tests performed were the two-sample ‘t’-test, Pearson correlation coefficient, and stepwise regression. Result: Orthodontists found a positive link between the lips (r = 0.585) and smile (r =0.671) regarding facial beauty. Lips accounted for 0.8% and smile for 45.1% of the difference in face attractiveness. Nonetheless, a noteworthy association was noted by general dentists in evaluating facial beauty between the lips (r Z 0.789) and the grin(r Z 0.565). A smile contributed 1.4% of the difference in face attractiveness, while the lips accounted for 62.2%. Conclusion: For general dentists, the smile contributed to 49% of the attractiveness of the smiling face, and the lips for 22%. For orthodontists, 69% of the facial attractiveness could be attributed to a smile. This study provides evidence that orthodontists have a better perception of the contribution of smiles and lips to facial attractiveness compared to general dentists. These findings have implications that contribute the practice of dentistry and suggest that orthodontists should play a more active role in the treatment of patients who are concerned about the appearance of their smiles.