Influence of the presence of asymmetry, in different facial areas, on the perception of dentofacial esthetics by orthodontists and laypersons

Marinna Ramalho Rocha de MELO, Emanuel Braga REGO, Andre Wilson MACHADO

Objective: Evaluate the dentofacial esthetics perception among orthodontists and laypeople, with respect to the presence of asymmetries in the eyes, nose, chin and upper central incisors edges, in an analysis of the smile in frontal photographs of the face. Methods: Four facial frontal photographs of the smile of two women (Caucasian and Afro-American), and two men (Caucasian and Afro-American) were selected. Five images were derived from each original photograph: a) 1-mm asymmetry at incisal edge between central incisors; b) 2.0-mm asymmetry of medial displacement between irises of eyes; c) 3-mm asymmetry of lateral displacement of nose from median sagittal plane; d) 3-mm asymmetry of lateral displacement of chin from median sagittal plane; e) symmetrical. Images were randomly assembled and assessed by 49 orthodontists and 49 laypersons. Data collected were statistically analyzed by means of one-way ANOVA with Tukey post-hoc test and unpaired Student t test. Results: The least attractive image was the central maxillary incisor edges asymmetry, whereas there were no statistically significant differences among other images. There were no statistically significant differences between the two groups of evaluators, but laypersons attributed higher scores than orthodontists to images with central incisor asymmetry. Conclusion: Results show that the symmetry of incisal edges of central maxillary incisors is a determinant factor in dentofacial esthetics.

Keywords: Dental esthetics. Orthodontics. Facial asymmetry.

How to cite: Melo MRR, Rego EB, Machado AW. Influence of the presence of asymmetry, in different facial areas, on the perception of dentofacial esthetics by orthodontists and laypersons. Clin Orthod. 2021 Dec-2022 Jan;20(6):95-106.

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