Evaluation of the Golden Proportion, Recurring Esthetic Dental Proportion and the Golden Percentage in a Kenyan Population

Abstract

Background: One of the aims of Contemporary Aesthetic Dentistry in the 21st century is to ensure maintenance of symmetrical proportions between the widths of maxillary anterior teeth during replacement of missing teeth and/or restoration. Patients seeking dental treatment consider aesthetic proportions in maxillary anterior teeth a vital consideration 3. Their primary concern is the creation of harmonious proportions between the widths of maxillary anterior teeth when restoring or replacing them based on their individual and specific needs 4. In the search to create aesthetically pleasing restorations, these concerns have significantly improved steadily over the last decade through enhanced and more aesthetic materials, techniques and emerging technologies, albeit challenges 3. Possibilities to address these concerns have been enabled whereby various mathematical proportions have been suggested in a bid to describe and/or relate the successive widths of maxillary anterior teeth 4. These include the Golden Proportion 5, the Recurring Esthetic Dental (RED) proportion 6 and the Golden Percentage 7. These proportions are important theoretical guidelines in aesthetic dentistry for the restorations and replacement of missing maxillary anterior teeth. The existence of these proportions have been tested among subjects of European and Asian origin 6,8,9. The only study among the African population done in Cote d’Ivore, found no correlation between the teeth of the participants and the Golden Proportion 10. While the Golden percentage and the Recurring Esthetic Dental (RED) Proportion were not evaluated. Therefore, the need for this study. Objective: The aim of this study was to evaluate the existence of the Golden Proportion, the Recurring Esthetic Dental (RED) Proportion and the Golden Percentage and to determine their validity among Kenyans of African descent with natural well aligned teeth...