Anthropometric analysis of anterior maxillary teeth with digital photography - a study in a Portuguese sample

Summary: Establishing a geometrical pattern of the anterior maxillary sector has been attempted for a long time. The Golden Proportion, Preston's Percentage, Golden Percentage, Recurring Esthetic Dental (RED) Proportion and, most recently, Gauge Proportion, are theories that try to apply mathematical and geometrical relations to the anterior maxillary teeth. Purpose: To study the anterior maxillary teeth proportions of a Portuguese population sample and see if any of the existent anthropometric proportions can be applied to the oral rehabilitation of this population. Materials and methods: Standardized frontal and lateral images of 50 dental patient smiles included in the inclusion criteria were captured. The widths and heights of maxillary anterior teeth were measured using image-processing software and data were statistically analyzed using a parametric test (t test). Results: The widths and heights were concordant with the values described by the Gauge Proportion. However, they were above the recommended value of 78% for the width/height proportion advocated. The proportions between the widths of the maxillary anterior teeth were not constant as proposed by the Golden Proportion and the RED Proportion. The Preston Proportion was found to be in concordance with the studied population. The values observed were closer to the Golden Percentage. Considering genre, there was a statistically significant difference. Male patients had teeth with larger dimensions than females. Conclusion: Within the limitations of this study, mainly concerned to the sample size, it may be concluded that the widths and heights of the anterior maxillary teeth were coincident with the Gauge Proportion. Both the Golden Proportion and the RED proportion are unsuitable methods to relate the widths of the maxillary anterior teeth unlike the Preston's Proportion. The Golden Percentage was close to the percentages observed and could be adjusted to be taken in consideration to this population.