Objectives: The purpose of this study was to evaluate the subjective judgment of participants on their dental appearance and to correlate the results with objective measurements of their dentition concerning different standard esthetic parameters. Methods: 75 participants (30 women, 45 men, mean age 47±17 years) with normal well-being were included in the study. In a questionnaire they judged their dental appearance (app_dent) and their appearance in general (app_gen). Further the following esthetic parameters were evaluated both by the participants and the investigator: absolute length of the upper central incisor (A) and their length exposed during laughing (B), the proportion between the width of the central and lateral incisors (C), incisal length difference between central and lateral incisors (D). The subjective results were registered on visual-analogue scales. For the objective results standardized photographs were taken of each participant. Using the same magnification for each photo, parameters could be measured on the prints. A Kruskal-Wallis Test was performed to analyze the influence of gender upon app_dent and app_gen. A non linear regression analysis was used to evaluate the correlation between subjective and objective results. Results: Between men and women no statistical difference could be found for app_dent (p>0.05). Concerning app_gen men were more content and less critical with themselves than women (p£0.05). The mean values of the objectively measured parameters were: A: 10.7±1.5 mm; B: 8.1±2.1 mm; C: 1.5±0.1; D: 1.2±0.2 mm. A significant correlation between subjective and objective results (A-D) could be shown for men (p£0.05), but not for women (p>0.05). The maximum of the calculated regression-curves for men reflect "golden standard values" known from the literature. Conclusions: The use of golden standard values concerning dental appearance seem to be more suitable for men than for women. However women were more critical concerning their appearance.

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