Background: The width of the buccal corridor (BC) is one of the factors affecting smile attractiveness.
Objectives: The aim of this study was to determine the effects of the BC size on the smile attractiveness of individuals with short, normal and long faces from the viewpoint of laypersons, general dentists and orthodontists.
Material and methods: Smiling photographs of male and female subjects who met the inclusion criteria were digitally altered to create 3 BC sizes (narrow: 2%; normal: 15%; wide: 28%) and 3 facial types defined by the facial index (FI) (short face: FI ≤ 83.9; normal face: 84.0 ≤ FI ≤ 87.9; long face: FI ≥ 88.0). Nine different combinations were made and the evaluators rated the overall attractiveness and acceptability of each smile on a 10-millimeter visual analog scale (VAS).
Results: A total of 53 raters (22 laypersons, 16 general dentists and 15 orthodontists) participated in this study. The orthodontists and general dentists had similar viewpoints and they preferred narrow and normal BCs over the wide ones in all facial types. Laypersons preferred normal BC for normal faces, while they did not distinguish different BCs in short faces.
Conclusions: Variations in the BC size affect smile attractiveness in different facial types and wide BCs are attributed to the least attractive smiles. Due to the different viewpoints of laypersons and professionals in this regard, there is no justification for expanding the maxillary arch to achieve more attractive smiles.
Keywords: buccal corridor; facial type; smile attractiveness.