COMPARATIVE EVALUATION OF THE MESIODISTAL WIDTH AND SHADE OF SIX MAXILLARY ANTERIOR TEETH IN CENTRAL INDIAN POPULATION

The size, form and color of the teeth must be in harmony with the oral and facial structures. The aim of this study was to measure mesiodistal width and shade of six anterior natural teeth of maxilla in a cross section of Central India population to act as a guide in restoration of anterior teeth in dentulous and edentulous patients. These readings were taken from 100 males and 100 females. The mean mesio-distal width and difference of each tooth on both side, combined mean mesio-distal width and difference of both side, most common shade of each tooth and difference of shade on both sides were estimated. It was observed that there is variation in mesiodistal width in right and left sides signifying that the anterior teeth are not mirror images of one another. Male subjects have greater mesiodistal width than females and right side dominates than left side. KEYWORDS: Mesiodistal width, anterior teeth, shade selection, artificial teeth. INTRODUCTION: Face is the most expressive part of human body as it determines an individual's identity. In today's world, looking good is a primary concern, as beauty in health is the 'new mantra'. The focus of dentistry in the present times is not only on prevention and treatment but on meeting the demands for better esthetics. Thus, dentistry has evolved from a curative to a creative science. The loss of teeth affects the facial appearance. Proper placement of tooth should be functional and esthetically pleasing. The size and form of the anterior teeth are important to not only dental esthetics but also are part of facial esthetics. It is a matter of great concern, when planning treatment to replace anterior teeth. The selection and arrangement of anterior teeth for edentulous patients has remained a challenging experience, especially when no pre-extraction records are available. Since it is difficult to establish firm, scientific rules or laws of esthetics for teeth arrangement, there must be blending of art and science of prosthodontics. The introduction of Dentogenic concept by Fisher and Frush has made the selection of teeth more appropriate with respect to sex, personality and age of the patient. The size, form and color of the teeth must be in harmony with the oral and facial structures. The width of the teeth is considered more critical than the length. It has been observed in various studies that there is variation in mesiodistal width of the right and left side signifying that the anterior teeth are not mirror images of one another. The artificial teeth available in the market do not differ in size for right and left sides and there is no variation for male and female subjects. In addition, there is no change in the shade of all the anterior teeth. These both factors play a major role in imparting 'denture look' to the prosthesis. Most studies done in this area do not include the population of Asia and India, one of its largest countries and no studies on measurements of tooth size and shade have been made on the Central Indian population. The aim of this study was to measure the mesiodistal width and shade of six anterior natural teeth in maxilla in a sample of Central Indian population.