Effects of Three Types of Digital Camera Sensors on Dental Specialists’ Perception of Smile Esthetics: A Preliminary Double-Blind Clinical Trial Publisher Pubmed



Sajjadi SH¹ ; Khosravanifard B¹ ; Moazzami F² ; Rakhshan V^{3, 4} ; Esmaeilpour M⁵
Source: Journal of Prosthodontics Published:2016

Abstract

Purpose: The effect of image quality or dental specialties on the subjective judgment of facial beauty has not been evaluated in any study. This study assessed the effect of digital sensors and specialties on the perception of smile beauty. Materials and Methods: In the first phase of this double-blind clinical trial, 40 female smile photographs (taken from dental students) were evaluated by a panel of three prosthodontists, six orthodontists, and three specialists in restorative dentistry to select the most beautiful smiles. In the second phase, the 20 students having the most appealing smiles were again photographed in standard conditions, but this time with three different digital sensors: full-frame 21.1-megapixel, half-frame 18.0-megapixel, and compact 10.4-megapixel. The same panel judged smile beauty on a visual analog scale. The referees were blinded to the type of sensors, and the images were all coded. The data were analyzed using two-way ANOVA, Kruskal-Wallis, and Mann-Whitney U tests (α = 0.05 and 0.0167). Results: The mean scores for full-frame, half-frame, and compact sensors were 6.70 ± 1.30, 4.56 ± 1.29, and 4.40 ± 1.39 [out of 10], respectively (Kruskal-Wallis p < 0.0001). The differences between the full-frame and the other sensors were statistically significant (Mann-Whitney p < 0.01); however, the difference between the half-frame and compact sensors was not statistically significant (p > 0.1). Sensors (ANOVA p < 0.00001) but not specialties (p = 0.687) affected the perception of beauty. Conclusions: According to the results of this study, image quality affected the perception of smile beauty. The full-frame sensor produced consistently better results and was recommended over half-frame and compact sensors. Dentists of different specialties might have similar standards of smile beauty, although this needs further assessment. © 2015 by the American College of Prosthodontists