Background: One of the important aspect of facial esthetics is smile. Patients having malocclusion do not pose a full smile as they are conscious of the compromised esthetics of their dentition. Correction of malocclusion harmonizes the soft tissues and results in enhanced facial esthetics. In order to obtain a clinically satisfactory outcome, it is imperative one must understand that what is beautiful and attractive to the orthodontist and general dentists might not seem attractive to the patients. This study endeavors to understand more closely the most striking malocclusal trait from laypersons point of view. So the aim of the study is to compare smile esthetics in different malocclusal traits among orthodontists and laypersons using Visual Analog Scale. Sample consists of pre treatment full frontal smiling photographs young adult patients and were categorized into 4 groups based on their skeletal relationship. Each group consists of 5 photographs which were standardized and were jumbled and projected. These photographs were rated for attractiveness by both orthodontists and lay persons and the results were subjected to statistical analysis. Class II division 1 malocclusion was perceived as least attractive followed by class II division 2 malocclusion and ideal occlusion was rated as very attractive by the orthodontists and laypersons. There was no statistically significant difference in the perception between orthodontists and lay persons for different malocclusions.
