Analysis of width/length ratios of normal clinical crowns of the maxillary anterior dentition: correlation between dental proportions and facial measurements.

This study aimed to determine how facial measurements explain the variability of dental proportions. The following measurements were obtained from 90 subjects: width and length of each maxillary anterior tooth, length of the nose, length of the upper lip, facial length (including the lengths of the facial thirds), intercanthal width, interalar width, intercommisural width while smiling, and maximum central incisor exposure while smiling. The combination of all facial measurements explained the variability of maxillary anterior teeth width/length ratios by only 20% to 38% in men and 16% to 27% in women. Within the population tested, the results suggest that the use of facial measurements for the selection of artificial denture teeth is generally inaccurate.