Laypeople’s perspective of esthetically pleasing smile in Kingdom of Saudi Arabia: A cross-sectional survey

Abstract

Aims: This study aimed to identify the self-perceived acceptable and pleasant smile characteristics and preferred dental esthetic treatments among laypersons from Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. Materials and methods: This was a cross-sectional survey conducted among laypeople in Riyadh city. A structured, close-ended, and self-administered questionnaire was distributed through social media to assess the participant’s satisfaction with their smiles and desire to improve their smiles through various esthetic treatment modalities. Results: Majority of the participants were female (87%, n = 783) compared to the male (13%, n = 117). A total of 355 (39.4%) subjects were dissatisfied with the color of their teeth and the level of dissatisfaction was higher among female, 317 (89.3%) compared to the male, 38 (10.7%). Moreover, younger participants showed significantly higher dissatisfaction with color of their teeth compared to the other age groups (p = 0.002). Gender (p = 0.001) and age (p = 0.000) of the study subjects were found to be significantly associated with different whitening procedures. Similarly, education of the study participant is significantly associated with satisfaction with the appearance of teeth during smiling (p = 0.028). Pointed canines (75.7%), gummy smile (88.6%), wide smile (95.7%), and gap between the teeth (99.4%) were found to be significantly less attractive among study participants. Conclusion: The findings of this study revealed that perception of color and dental appearance of the teeth varies among different subjects. Hence, understanding the layperson’s opinion about the color of the teeth and appearance is important parameters in designing esthetically attractive smile for the patients. Clinical significance: Laypeople’s perception of esthetically pleasing smile is influenced by age, gender, and education of the individuals. Hence, while designing esthetically pleasing smile, these factors should be considered to get best clinical outcomes.