Validity and reproducibility of rating dental attractiveness from study casts

In the course of a multi-disciplinary investigation of 1018 children, standardized dental photographs and study casts were obtained. It has been shown that panel ratings of dental attractiveness from standardized photographs have good validity, high intra- and inter-judge reproducibility and to be representative of lay judgement. However, such ratings compound an appraisal of cleanliness, tooth colour and gingival health in addition to purely orthodontic features. In order to isolate the latter, attractiveness ratings of study casts were made by a three person panel using visual analogue scales.