Original Article

Year : 2016 | Volume : 7 | Issue : 3 | Page : 92-96

Comparison of perception of smile by orthodontists and other specialty dentists: A questionnaire study

Swetha Sridharan, Christine Samantha

Department of Orthodontics, Saveetha Dental College, Chennai, Tamil Nadu, India

Correspondence Address:

Christine Samantha

Department of Orthodontics, Saveetha Dental College, Chennai - 600 077, Tamil Nadu, India.

Aim:

The purpose of this study is to compare the perceptions of orthodontists and other specialty dentists, regarding smile esthetics in the form of a questionnaire.

Objectives:

To determine whether there is any difference of opinion regarding the perception of smile between orthodontists and other specialty dentists and to compare the various factors that have a high impact on the perception of smile by orthodontists and other specialty dentists.

Materials and Methods:

This study is a questionnaire survey. Totally, 104 questionnaires were distributed, of which 52 patients were completed by the orthodontists and 52 patients were completed by other specialty dentists.

Results:

This study showed that the mean scores given by orthodontists are lesser than that of the nonorthodontists. The factors that had an impact on smile by nonorthodontists include crowding of lower anterior teeth and diastema of 3-4 mm. Among orthodontists, the various factors that had an impact include diastema, midline deviation, and reverse smile arc.

Conclusions:

Different parameters have an impact on the smile perception. Diastema, smile, and reverse smile were regarded as unattractive and received the lowest score in this survey. The presence of midline shift was not considered unaesthetic by nonorthodontists.

Source of Support: 

None

Conflict of Interest: 

None

DOI: 10.4103/2349-5243.192530

How to cite this article: Sridharan S, Samantha C. Comparison of perception of smile by orthodontists and other specialty dentists: A questionnaire study. Int J Orthod Rehabil 2016;7:92-6.