DefinePK

Abstract

Introduction: One of the primary considerations of patients seeking treatment for anterior teeth is to have esthetic proportions in maxillary anterior teeth. Various mathematical proportions that have been suggested to relate the width of maxillary anterior teeth include golden proportion, recurring esthetic dental (RED) proportion, golden percentage and Chu’s proportion. The aim of this study was to evaluate the validity of these proportions in relating the width of maxillary anterior teeth. Material and Methods: Standardized frontal images of 50 dental students were captured. All the images were downloaded to a personal computer and width of each tooth was measured by scale tool of Adobe Photoshop 7. Calculations were made for each theory of proportion. Descriptive statistics were used to calculate percentages. Results: Golden proportion was found in 10% of the perceived lateral to central incisor ratio on both sides. RED proportion was not found to be constant. The values for golden percentage were found to be 22%, 15%, 12% for each of the centrals, laterals and canines respectively. Chu’s proportion was not found to exist. Conclusions: Golden proportion, RED proportion and Chu’s proportion are unsuitable methods to relate the successive widths of maxillary anterior teeth. However, golden percentage theory can be applied to relate the widths of anterior teeth if percentages are adjusted taking into consideration the ethnicity of the population.