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CC BY-NC-ND 4.0 · Eur J Dent 2021; 15(04): 630-638
DOI: 10.1055/s-0041-1726670
Original Article

Smile Attractiveness Evaluation of Patients Selected for a U.S.-Based Board Certification Examination

Jen Soh
1   Private Practice, Singapore
,
Zheng Dong Wang
2   Department of Orthodontics, Nanjing Medical University, Nanjing, Jiangsu, People’s Republic of China
,
Wei Bing Zhang
2   Department of Orthodontics, Nanjing Medical University, Nanjing, Jiangsu, People’s Republic of China
,
Chung How Kau 
3   Department of Orthodontics, The University of Alabama at Birmingham, Birmingham, Alabama, United States
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Abstract

Objectives The aims of this study were to assess smile attractiveness of a collection of 68 smiling photographs of successfully treated cases submitted to the American Board of Orthodontics (ABO) clinical examination and identify variables that influence the assessment.

Materials and Methods A panel of 81 non-Caucasian assessors from various clinical disciplines were instructed to score the smile attractiveness on a visual analog scale from 1 (least attractive) to 10 (most attractive) and to select which components contributed to a lesser attractive smile. The mean, standard deviations (SDs), and quartiles of the smile attractiveness were obtained with descriptive statistics. Multilinear regression analysis was performed to investigate the scores of the perceived quality of smile attractiveness when the clinical disciplines and gender of the assessors were the factors taken into consideration. Receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve was generated to establish the relationship between smile attractiveness and the achievement of a perfect smile.

Results The mean (SD) rating of each clinical photograph of the anterior occlusion on smiling ranged from 3.11 (1.47) as the least attractive smile to 7.59 (1.45) as the most attractive smile. The overall mean (SD) score for smile attractiveness was 5.30 (1.10). Problems associated with teeth, gingiva, and lips corresponded with a reduction of the smile attractiveness score by 1.56, 1.82, and 1.47, respectively. Gender was not associated with smile attractiveness ratings. Orthodontists, periodontists, and prosthodontists demonstrated no difference in the ratings, while plastic surgeons were more critical than orthodontists regarding smile attractiveness.

Conclusions This study suggested that only 2 out of 68 AOB validated treatment finishes had a perfect and attractive smile.

Keywords

board certification examination - orthodontics - perception - smile attractiveness


Publication History

Article published online:
24 July 2021

© 2021. European Journal of Dentistry. This is an open access article published by Thieme under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution-NonDerivative-NonCommercial-License, permitting copying and reproduction so long as the original work is given appropriate credit. Contents may not be used for commercial purposes, or adapted, remixed, transformed or built upon. (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/).

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