Perception of maxillary anterior esthetics by dental professionals and laypeople and survey of gingival topography in healthy young subjects.

The perceptions of dental professionals and laypeople were compared with respect to relative gingival marginal levels of the lateral incisors, flatness of the gingival margin of central incisors and its variations in horizontal locations, and interproximal contact length relative to gingival biotype. The distribution of tooth-gingiva topography in periodontally healthy subjects was also identified. A noticeable difference was observed between dental professionals and laypeople in their perception of maxillary anterior esthetic components. Normal distribution of the topographic features of anterior teeth and gingiva delineated an intermediate biotype between those preferred by dental professionals and those preferred by laypeople. The present study clearly indicates that dental professionals and laypeople demonstrated significant differences in their perceptions of dental esthetic components. These differences may influence the decision-making process by dental professionals with respect to designing the gingival levels of lateral incisors, the horizontal gingival contours of central incisors, and the shape of interproximal contact areas. (Int J Periodontics Restorative Dent 2009;29:535-541.).