Smile attractiveness in cases treated with self-ligating and conventional appliances with and without rapid maxillary expansion.

OBJECTIVE: This study aimed to compare the smile attractiveness after non-extraction treatment with self-ligating and rapid maxillary expansion (RME), to compare it to a control group treat with conventional fixed appliances and to evaluate the influence of buccal and posterior corridor areas in smile aesthetics. SETTINGS AND SAMPLE POPULATION: The sample consisted of frontal posed smile photographs of patients treated with self-ligating and conventional appliances with and without RME. MATERIAL AND METHODS: G1-treated with Damon self-ligating system (n = 20), G2-treated with RME and conventional fixed appliances (n = 22) and G3-treated only with conventional fixed appliances (n = 20). A website was created to provide an easy and quick evaluation of the smiles. The evaluators consisted of 70 orthodontists and 55 laypeople. Buccal and posterior corridors areas of each photograph were delimited in Photoshop CS3 and measured in AutoCAD in proportion to the total smile area. One- and two-way ANOVA were used for intergroup comparisons, and correlations were investigated with Pearson's correlation coefficient. RESULTS: There were no significant intergroup differences in smile attractiveness and in buccal and posterior corridor areas. There was no significant correlation between corridor areas and smile attractiveness. CONCLUSIONS: Smile attractiveness and areas of buccal and posterior corridors were similar in groups treated with self-ligating and conventional appliances with and without rapid maxillary expansion.