Analysis of gingival display during static and dynamic smiles in a Turkish sample: A clinical study

PURPOSE: The aim of this study is to determine the prevalence of smile types in spontaneous smiles among a Turkish population aged 18–23 and to compare it with the prevalence of static smiles. MATERIALS AND METHODS: This study was carried out with 150 undergraduate students at Başkent University Faculty of Dentistry (75 females, 75 males). For this purpose, photo recordings for static smiles and 20-second video recordings for dynamic smiles were taken 40 cm from the participant’s nose. Measurements were made with an electronic ruler. RESULTS: High smile line was found to be the highest prevalence in both static and dynamic smiles (p<0.001). The average soft tissue display is higher in dynamic smiles (p<0.05). In both static and dynamic smiles, the average amount of gingival display was higher in females than in males (p<0.05). CONCLUSION: When the smile line was evaluated on the photograph recordings while the patient was posing, it was found to be lower than the natural spontaneous smile line obtained from the video recordings. Since the gingival display increases when patients smile naturally instead of posing, clinical evaluations and restorative considerations should be planned according to the dynamic smile.