Evaluation and Comparison of the Geometrical Relationship of Tooth and Lip Arcs and Their Correlation to Smile Arcs Between Males and Females in a North Indian Population

Background With the increasing influence of social media, millennials and the generations that follow have increasingly pressing aesthetic concerns. Following this, there has been a sea change in treatment plans and procedures as well as the choice of material. Dentistry nowadays is dependent on digital data to compute and design prostheses; these technologies are often not readily available all over the world. The purpose of this research article is to measure the tooth arc (TA) and lip arc (LA) and their correlation to the smile arcs with a cohort consisting of males and females from a single center in northern India. The SA measurement, evaluation, and comparison of smile aesthetics in this young population may be used as a threshold to these smile variables so that prosthodontists can easily prevent or modify aesthetically displeasing features. This research article will be useful for cases requiring restorations and replacements of maxillary anterior teeth. Materials and methods In this research work, photographic analysis was used and photographs of hundred subjects were taken. The camera was fixed using a tripod, at an 11-inch distance from the face, so that a clear picture of the face could be taken from the tip of the nose to the chin. A digital single-lens reflex (DSLR) camera (Nikon D-60, with the Nikon DX AF-S Nikkor 18-135mm lens, Tokyo, Japan) was used to take the facial photographs. As the posed smile is more predictable than the natural smile, subjects were asked to smile while keeping their natural head position (NHP). Parabolas were made with Math-GV software (info@mathgv.com) and superimposed on the photographs to calculate the value. Results The mean LA shows greater curvature in the female population. There was no significant (p=0.92) relationship between TA curvature in the male (0.07 +/- 0.03) and female populations (0.08 +/- 0.03), whereas the LA in males (0.10 +/- 0.03) and LA in females (0.12 +/- 0.04) showed a significant relationship (p=0.03) between both groups. The LA of the female population was found to be steeper than that of the male population. This study signifies that there is no significant difference (p=0.92) between the skeletal makeup of the male and female populations but the muscular activity and muscle function differ in the male and female populations. Regarding arc-wise comparisons in both male and female populations, the male population showed a statistically insignificant (p=0.27) correlation in lip and tooth arcs. But in the female population, the correlation between these arcs was statistically significant (p=0.01). Conclusion These study results provide useful guidance for evaluating anterior teeth and planning treatment for aesthetic restorative care. Clinicians should consider not only racial and gender differences when developing an aesthetic treatment plan but also the symmetry of the facial structure which should be in harmony with the dental arc. The harmony of each determinant of aesthetics, with each other, aids in promoting beauty as a whole.