Statement of problem: Selection of proper sized maxillary anterior teeth is one of the difficult clinical steps in complete denture esthetics. Several studies have been reported to establish methods of estimating the combined width of maxillary anterior teeth.
Purpose: The aim of this study was to determine whether a relationship exists between the innercanthal distance (ICD) and interalar width (IAW) with the combined width of maxillary anterior teeth.
Material and methods: The maxillary anterior teeth of 600 adult subjects were examined. ICD was measured between the median angles of the palpebral fissure. IAW was measured between the ala of the nose at their widest point. The mean combined width of the maxillary anterior teeth was determined intraorally at their widest dimension. Pearson's correlation coefficients were calculated to determine the relationship between ICD, IAW and the combined width of maxillary anterior teeth (α =0.05).
Results: Although the Pearson correlation coefficients were relatively small, a significant relationship existed between innercanthal dimension and IAW (P < 0001).
Conclusion: Within the limitations of this study, the results suggest that ICD and IAW cannot be used as a preliminary method for determining the width of the maxillary anterior teeth for edentulous patients.
Keywords: Innercanthal distance; interalar width; intercanine width.