METHODS AND MATERIALS: A prospective study was conducted between April 2016 and May 2017. Twenty two adult patients aged 18-38 years with gummy smile ranging from 4 to 6 mm because of soft tissue disorders were included in the study. All patients were treated in the oral and maxillofacial department at Damascus University. The sample was divided into two groups of 11 patients. The first group was treated by the conventional standard technique, and the second group treated by a modified study technique. The amount of gingival display in full smile was evaluated in both groups following each intervention.
RESULTS: Both groups exhibited a statistically significant reduction in the measurement of gummy smile at month 1 and 6 postoperatively (P .05). The recent study showed a significant difference in gingival display between 3 and 6 months postoperatively in group 1, but no significant difference in group 2.
CONCLUSION: This study showed that the modified technique utilized in treating gummy smile has less relapse after surgery, shows excellent cosmesis and compared to the conventional technique, greater sustainability.
CLINICAL SIGNIFICANCE: The recent increase in demand for an esthetic smile has led to the development a modification of conventional lip repositioning for correcting gummy smile by myotomy of lip elevator muscles. This modified technique offers less relapse and greater stability post-operatively than the conventional technique.
PURPOSE: The purpose of this study was to determine esthetic perceptions of the Malaysian population regarding the width of buccal corridor spaces and their effect on smile esthetics in individuals with short, normal, and long faces.
MATERIAL AND METHODS: The image of a smiling individual with a mesofacial face was modified to create 2 different facial types (brachyfacial and dolicofacial). Each face form was further modified into 5 different buccal corridors (2%, 10%, 15%, 22%, and 28%). The images were submitted to 3 different ethnic groups of evaluators (Chinese, Malay, Indian; 100 each), ranging between 17 and 21 years of age. A visual analog scale (50 mm in length) was used for assessment. The scores given to each image were compared with the Kruskal-Wallis test, and pairwise comparison was performed using the Mann-Whitney U test (α=.05).
RESULTS: All 3 groups of evaluators could distinguish gradations of dark spaces in the buccal corridor at 2%, 10%, and 28%. Statistically significant differences were observed among 3 groups of evaluators in esthetic perception when pairwise comparisons were performed. A 15% buccal corridor was found to score esthetically equally within 3 face types by all 3 groups of evaluators. The Indian population was more critical in evaluation than the Chinese or Malay populations. In a pairwise comparison, more significant differences were found between long and short faces and the normal face; the normal face was compared with long and short faces separately.
CONCLUSIONS: The width of the buccal corridor space influences smile attractiveness in different facial types. A medium buccal corridor (15%) is the esthetic characteristic preferred by all groups of evaluators in short, normal, and long face types.