Peer aesthetic and social perceptions of anterior open bite in children

This cross-sectional study aimed to assess children's aesthetic and social perceptions of anterior open bite (AOB). The sample comprised 272 evaluators, divided into three age groups: 4-6, 7-9, and 10-12 years old. Artificial intelligence was used to generate the children's facial images, and Adobe Photoshop was used to modify their smiles, obtaining paired images of AOB and normal overbite. Participants completed a questionnaire that included images of children in their age range. An illustrated 5-point Likert scale was used to assess aesthetic rating. Social and aesthetic perceptions were evaluated using objective questions. Independent t-tests and chi-square were applied for data analysis. The aesthetic rating differed significantly, with smiles showing normal overbite judged as statistically significantly more attractive across all age groups. Among the objective responses, only the questions related to aesthetic perception differed between the occlusion statuses depicted. The social judgments were similar between them. An anterior open bite showed a negative impact on the aesthetic perception of children aged 4 to 12 years. The findings suggest that during counseling about the importance of discontinuing deleterious habits, professionals may present smiling photographs of children with and without AOB to reinforce the aesthetic benefits of stopping those habits.