Abstract:

Objective This study examines the effects of extraction and non-extraction treatments on the esthetics of frontal smiles and profile photos of teenagers. Furthermore, this work investigates whether extraction treatment adducts the buccal areas of teenagers. Methods Both the extraction and non-extraction groups were composed of 30 cases. The points and lines of frontal smiles with profiles of 45° and 90° for each case were fixed using the Photoshop CS3 software. Visual analogue scale was employed to evaluate frontal smiles. Data analysis was conducted using t-test, chi-square test, and Pearson correlation analysis. Results Both treatments significantly increased the upper lip length. However, the spat width decreased after treatment(P<0.05). The line spacing between 1 and 2 noticeably increased in the extraction group(P<0.05), whereas no visible changes occurred in the non-extraction group after treatment. Angle R obviously decreased in the nonextraction group(P<0.05). Nevertheless, the extraction group exhibited no statistical significance after treatment. The difference between the frontal smile scores in the two groups had no statistical significance. Conclusion Both treatments can improve the relationships between the lips. Furthermore, non-extraction treatments have little to do with the buccal changes in teenagers and do not affect the beauty of a smile.

Key words: extraction, malocclusion, adolescents, orthodontic, smile, esthetics