Do Laypeople, students and orthodontists have similar concepts regarding facial aesthetics?

Introduction: A harmonious profile is one of the objectives of the orthodontic planning. It is as important as to establish functional occlusion, since facial aesthetics is not only a concern for the orthodontist, but also for individuals who want to undergo orthodontic treatment. Objective: To analyze the facial profile considered pleasant for the white Brazilians, verify their common characteristics and, thus, guide the orthodontists in relation to facial aesthetics. Methods: Facial profile photographs from 100 adult white Brazilians were analyzed and evaluated by 15 lay people, 15 orthodontic students and 15 orthodontists. Tracings and cephalometric analysis were made from the best rated facial profiles, including linear and angular measurements and facial proportions. Results: Considerable similarities were found between the simulated profiles which were shaped according to each group's outcome. These results can be attributed to the influence of the media that, somehow, contributed to homogenize the population's standards related to facial esthetics. Conclusion: Despite the great similarity in relation to the aesthetic concepts showed by the evaluators, lay people seem to prefer more concave profiles when compared with the other groups.

Introdução: O ortodontista não se preocupa apenas em estabelecer a oclusão funcional, mas também em proporcionar ao paciente um perfil harmonioso, uma das principais motivações daqueles que procuram por tratamento. Objetivo: Analisar os perfis faciais considerados agradáveis de indivíduos leucodermas brasileiros, buscando verificar suas características em comum e, assim, orientar os ortodontistas quanto aos objetivos finais do tratamento ortodôntico em relação à estética facial. Métodos: Fotografias de perfil de 100 indivíduos brasileiros leucodermas adultos foram avaliadas por 15 leigos, 15 estudantes de ortodontia e 15 ortodontistas. Foram realizados traçados e análises cefalométricas dos perfis que obtiveram as melhores avaliações, incluindo medidas lineares, angulares e de proporções faciais. Resultados: Verificou-se uma considerável semelhança entre as simulações dos perfis faciais construídos de acordo com o resultado da avaliação de cada grupo de julgadores. Este resultado foi atribuído à influência da mídia, que de alguma forma contribuiu para homogeneizar os padrões de estética facial. Conclusão: Apesar da grande semelhança em relação aos conceitos estéticos apresentados pelos avaliadores, os leigos parecem preferir perfis mais côncavos quando comparados aos demais.

Characterization and coating stability evaluation of nickel-titanium orthodontic esthetic wires: an in vivo study

Abstract The objective of this study was to compare coating dimensions and surface characteristics of two different esthetic covered nickel-titanium orthodontic rectangular archwires, as-received from the manufacturer and after oral exposure. The study was designed for comparative purposes. Both archwires, as-received from the manufacturer, were observed using a stereomicroscope to measure coating thickness and inner metallic dimensions. The wires were also exposed to oral environment in 11 orthodontic active patients for 21 days. After removing the samples, stereomicroscopy images were captured, coating loss was measured and its percentage was calculated. Three segments of each wire (one as-received and two after oral exposure) were observed using scanning electron microscopy for a qualitative analysis of the labial surface of the wires. The Lilliefors test and independent t-test were applied to verify normality of data and statistical differences between wires, respectively. The significance level adopted was 0.05. The results showed that the differences between the wires while comparing inner height and thickness were statistically significant (p < 0.0001). In average, the most recently launched wire presented a coating thickness twice that of the control wire, which was also a statistically significant difference. The coating loss percentage was also statistically different (p = 0.0346) when the latest launched wire (13.27%) was compared to the control (29.63%). In conclusion, the coating of the most recent wire was thicker and more uniform, whereas the control had a thinner coating on the edges. After oral exposure, both tested wires presented coating loss, but the most recently launched wire exhibited better results.