Brazilian Journal of Dentistry and Oral Radiology. 2024, 3, 1, bjd45. www.bjdentistry.com.br
Review
Dental Aesthetic Perception of Dentistry Students: A Literature
Review
Roberta Samila da Costa Vieira
1
, Thyfanny Elvira Frota dos Santos
1
, João Victor Menezes do Nascimento
2
,
Talita Arrais Daniel Mendes
1
, Nara Lhays Teixeira Nunes
2, *
, Nara Sousa Rodrigues Giroux
1
1
Dentistry Course, University of Fortaleza - UNIFOR, Fortaleza, CE, Brazil.
2
Dentistry Course, University Center UNINTA, Sobral, CE, Brazil.
* Correspondência: naralhaysnunes@gmail.com.
Abstract: The appearance of a smile has increasingly become a factor that significantly impacts an individu-
al's self-esteem and social context. Consequently, there is a growing desire for changes in the oral region to
achieve what is considered an ideal smile, particularly in light of new beauty standards, where white and
aligned teeth are deemed highly relevant. However, the concept of beauty is highly subjective, and sometimes
dental standards do not align with patients' aesthetic desires. This study aims to evaluate the dental aesthetic
perception of dentistry students through an integrative review. For the reference framework, we searched
articles from the PubMed and Lilacs databases from the past five years, using the keywords "Dental esthetic,"
"dental student," and "Smiling," with the Boolean operator "and." After a thorough reading of all the articles,
nine studies were selected. This review showed that the level of education and gender presented differences
in the perception of dental aesthetics. However, students generally agree that aesthetics must be associated
with the health and naturalness of the smile, following dental anatomy, dental alignment, buccal corridor,
level of gingival exposure, and color.
Keywords: Dental Aesthetics; Dentistry Student; Smile.
1. Introduction
People are becoming increasingly demanding in their pursuit of aesthetics. A beau-
tiful smile can elevate self-esteem, exuding confidence and personality to those around
them. Patients desire a pleasant-looking smile, with whiter and perfectly aligned teeth.
Through aesthetic dentistry, it is possible to mimic nature, preserving the size, shape,
symmetry, and color of teeth [1]. Dental aesthetics have a significant influence on pa-
tients' quality of life, with the appearance of the smile being a factor that demonstrably
impacts an individual's self-esteem [2]. Humans express their feelings through their face,
and the smile is the highlight of this expression. When there are negative aspects related
to smiling, social and psychological interactions can be affected [3].
It is important to highlight that the concept of beauty is subjective. The ideal smile
may be far from what patients consider aesthetically appropriate [2]. To achieve an at-
tractive smile appearance, it is important to have a natural facial harmony. Thus, it is
fundamental to follow some references such as the smile arc (curvature of the smile), the
buccal corridor, the amount of gingival exposure, the presence of gingival and incisal
asymmetries, the presence of diastemas in the upper anterior region, the presence of mid-
line deviations and changes in dental axial inclinations, the proportion, size, and sym-
metry of the upper incisors, among other factors [4].
The appeal of media and social networks for a collective aesthetic molded by beauty
standards has been a challenge in this quest for the perfect smile. In this context, it is
important for the dentist to perform aesthetic planning based on aesthetic and functional