Impact of gingival pigmentation on laypersons’ perception of smile aesthetics: an observational study
Aim: The study aims to assess laypersons’ perceptions of smile aesthetics before and after gingival depigmentation and to correlate these perceptions with the degree of gingival pigmentation. Methods: The retrospective observational study examined individuals who received gingival depigmentation fol...
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Open Exploration Publishing Inc.
2025-01-01
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| Series: | Exploration of Medicine |
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| Online Access: | https://www.explorationpub.com/uploads/Article/A1001274/1001274.pdf |
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| author | Preethi Raj Shweta Nagesh Ramanarayana Boyapati |
| author_facet | Preethi Raj Shweta Nagesh Ramanarayana Boyapati |
| author_sort | Preethi Raj |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Aim: The study aims to assess laypersons’ perceptions of smile aesthetics before and after gingival depigmentation and to correlate these perceptions with the degree of gingival pigmentation. Methods: The retrospective observational study examined individuals who received gingival depigmentation following orthodontic treatment between 2019 and 2024. Fifteen records were selected based on the inclusion and exclusion criteria. The pre- and post-depigmentation frontal smile photos were standardized, included into a Google Form, and distributed to 40 laypeople for the assessment of smile aesthetics. The laypeople evaluated the attractiveness of smiles using a 10-point Likert scale. Experienced periodontists classified the gingival pigmentation utilizing the oral pigmentation index (OPI). The differences between the pre- and post-treatment OPI scores and smile esthetic scores were assessed using Wilcoxon signed-rank test. Spearman correlation was used to evaluate the association between smile scores and OPI scores. The intraclass correlation coefficient (ICC) was employed to evaluate the inter-rater reliability of the smile ratings and OPI scores. The statistical significance was established at p ≤ 0.05. Results: The average OPI scores before depigmentation were 2.67 ± 0.49; however, following depigmentation, the scores significantly declined to an average of 0.33 ± 0.5 (p < 0.001). The mean smile aesthetic score pre-depigmentation was 6.72 ± 0.32, whereas after depigmentation the scores significantly improved to 7.91 ± 0.18 (p = 0.001). Spearman correlation indicated a statistically significant negative association between smile aesthetics scores and OPI scores (r = –0.76). ICC indicated excellent inter-rater reliability for the OPI (0.923) and good reliability for smile esthetic scores (0.756). Conclusions: The study found that gingival de-pigmentation procedures improve the OPI scores and laypeople perceive gingival hyperpigmentation unattractive. While gingival depigmentation is not mandatory, it may be recommended for individuals seeking cosmetic smile enhancements post-orthodontic therapy to improve the overall patient satisfaction. |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj-art-28b3ac818fca4b8896169ded7b12742d |
| institution | Kabale University |
| issn | 2692-3106 |
| language | English |
| publishDate | 2025-01-01 |
| publisher | Open Exploration Publishing Inc. |
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| series | Exploration of Medicine |
| spelling | doaj-art-28b3ac818fca4b8896169ded7b12742d2025-01-17T08:15:10ZengOpen Exploration Publishing Inc.Exploration of Medicine2692-31062025-01-016100127410.37349/emed.2025.1001274Impact of gingival pigmentation on laypersons’ perception of smile aesthetics: an observational studyPreethi Raj0https://orcid.org/0009-0008-9533-8122Shweta Nagesh1https://orcid.org/0000-0002-1921-1604Ramanarayana Boyapati2https://orcid.org/0000-0002-9196-0183Department of Orthodontics, Saveetha Dental College and Hospitals, Saveetha Institute of Medical and Technical Sciences, Saveetha University, Chennai 600097, Tamil Nadu, IndiaDepartment of Orthodontics, Saveetha Dental College and Hospitals, Saveetha Institute of Medical and Technical Sciences, Saveetha University, Chennai 600097, Tamil Nadu, IndiaDepartment of Periodontics, Sibar Institute of Dental Sciences, Guntur 522509, Andhra Pradesh, IndiaAim: The study aims to assess laypersons’ perceptions of smile aesthetics before and after gingival depigmentation and to correlate these perceptions with the degree of gingival pigmentation. Methods: The retrospective observational study examined individuals who received gingival depigmentation following orthodontic treatment between 2019 and 2024. Fifteen records were selected based on the inclusion and exclusion criteria. The pre- and post-depigmentation frontal smile photos were standardized, included into a Google Form, and distributed to 40 laypeople for the assessment of smile aesthetics. The laypeople evaluated the attractiveness of smiles using a 10-point Likert scale. Experienced periodontists classified the gingival pigmentation utilizing the oral pigmentation index (OPI). The differences between the pre- and post-treatment OPI scores and smile esthetic scores were assessed using Wilcoxon signed-rank test. Spearman correlation was used to evaluate the association between smile scores and OPI scores. The intraclass correlation coefficient (ICC) was employed to evaluate the inter-rater reliability of the smile ratings and OPI scores. The statistical significance was established at p ≤ 0.05. Results: The average OPI scores before depigmentation were 2.67 ± 0.49; however, following depigmentation, the scores significantly declined to an average of 0.33 ± 0.5 (p < 0.001). The mean smile aesthetic score pre-depigmentation was 6.72 ± 0.32, whereas after depigmentation the scores significantly improved to 7.91 ± 0.18 (p = 0.001). Spearman correlation indicated a statistically significant negative association between smile aesthetics scores and OPI scores (r = –0.76). ICC indicated excellent inter-rater reliability for the OPI (0.923) and good reliability for smile esthetic scores (0.756). Conclusions: The study found that gingival de-pigmentation procedures improve the OPI scores and laypeople perceive gingival hyperpigmentation unattractive. While gingival depigmentation is not mandatory, it may be recommended for individuals seeking cosmetic smile enhancements post-orthodontic therapy to improve the overall patient satisfaction.https://www.explorationpub.com/uploads/Article/A1001274/1001274.pdfgingivamelaninpigmentationaesthetics |
| spellingShingle | Preethi Raj Shweta Nagesh Ramanarayana Boyapati Impact of gingival pigmentation on laypersons’ perception of smile aesthetics: an observational study Exploration of Medicine gingiva melanin pigmentation aesthetics |
| title | Impact of gingival pigmentation on laypersons’ perception of smile aesthetics: an observational study |
| title_full | Impact of gingival pigmentation on laypersons’ perception of smile aesthetics: an observational study |
| title_fullStr | Impact of gingival pigmentation on laypersons’ perception of smile aesthetics: an observational study |
| title_full_unstemmed | Impact of gingival pigmentation on laypersons’ perception of smile aesthetics: an observational study |
| title_short | Impact of gingival pigmentation on laypersons’ perception of smile aesthetics: an observational study |
| title_sort | impact of gingival pigmentation on laypersons perception of smile aesthetics an observational study |
| topic | gingiva melanin pigmentation aesthetics |
| url | https://www.explorationpub.com/uploads/Article/A1001274/1001274.pdf |
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