Restoring dentate appearance: a literature review for modern complete denture esthetics.

Despite the fact that solutions to functional and comfort problems are often available, successfully restoring the appearance of an edentulous patient remains a challenge. This review of the literature demonstrates the limited amount of useful evidence-based information available for restoration of dentate appearance in edentulous individuals. The English language peer-reviewed literature from 1880 to the present was reviewed. Articles were identified through previous literature reviews, an extensive hand search, and a search of MEDLINE using the key words esthetics and denture esthetics. Three main areas of information were found: published guidelines for achieving natural appearance, patient preference studies, and studies that have collected and analyzed anatomic norms.