Affiliations 

  • 1 Associate Professor, Department of Prosthodontics, Altamash Institute of Dental Medicine, Karachi, Pakistan; PhD Student, Prosthodontic Unit, School of Dental Sciences, Health Campus, Universiti Sains Malaysia, Kota Bharu, Kelantan, Malaysia
  • 2 Research Associate, Department of Prosthodontics, Altamash Institute of Dental Medicine, Karachi, Pakistan
  • 3 Professor, Department of Prosthetic Dental Science, College of Dentistry, King Saud University, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. Electronic address: fvohra@ksu.edu.sa
  • 4 Lecturer and Clinical Specialist, Conservative Dentistry Unit, School of Dental Sciences, Health Campus, Universiti Sains Malaysia, Kota Bharu, Kelantan, Malaysia
  • 5 Associate Professor, Department of Prosthetic Dental Science, College of Dentistry, King Saud University, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia
  • 6 Assistant Professor, Department of Prosthetic Dental Science, College of Dentistry, King Saud University, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia
  • 7 Professor, Department of Prosthetic Dental Science, College of Dentistry, King Saud University, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia
J Prosthet Dent, 2024 Feb;131(2):187-196.
PMID: 35277267 DOI: 10.1016/j.prosdent.2021.11.035

Abstract

STATEMENT OF PROBLEM: The recurrent esthetic dental (RED) proportion has been a benchmark for the rehabilitation of the maxillary anterior teeth of North American patients. While it has been evaluated in other populations, the global application of RED proportions in the rehabilitation of maxillary anterior teeth is unclear.

PURPOSE: The purpose of this systematic review was to examine the existing evidence on dental proportion to evaluate the existence of RED proportions in the esthetic smile in different geographic regions.

MATERIAL AND METHODS: A systematic search was conducted by reviewing different databases. The focused question was "Does RED proportion exist in esthetically pleasing smiles in different populations around the world?" The search included articles with a combination of MeSH keywords based on dental proportion from January 2000 to July 2020. The titles and abstracts were identified by using a search protocol. Full text of the articles was independently evaluated. The systematic review was modified to summarize the relevant data. The general characteristics, outcomes, and quality of studies were reviewed and analyzed systematically.

RESULTS: Seventeen studies were selected from the reviewed articles. Three studies were conducted in Europe, 10 in South Asia, and 4 in Western Asia. Eleven studies found that the mean perceived ratio of anterior teeth was not constant when progressing distally. Five studies reported that the ratio was constant in a small percentage of their populations, and 1 suggested that the ratio was constant if it remains between 60% and 80%. The central-to-LI and Ca-to-LI proportion values were not constant. Overall, the Ca-to-LI proportion values were higher than the central-to-LI proportions.

CONCLUSIONS: RED proportions were not found in the successive widths of maxillary anterior teeth among the reviewed data from different geographic regions. RED proportions are not the only standard for restoring esthetic smiles worldwide, and anterior tooth proportions differ among populations based on their race and ethnicity.

* Title and MeSH Headings from MEDLINE®/PubMed®, a database of the U.S. National Library of Medicine.