ReviewInternational dental journal2023
Maxillary Midline Diastemas in West African Smiles.
Review in International dental journal, 2023. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 5 papers.
What it found
Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.
The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.
The trial behind it
Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.
Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.
Who cites it
5 citing papers in PubMed, 11 citations in OpenAlex.
- Development and Validation of the Latvian Version of the Orofacial Esthetic Scale in Dental Patients with Aesthetic, Functional and No Treatment Needs.Medicina (Kaunas, Lithuania) · 2025Article
- Attractiveness and determinants of maxillary midline diastemas in a West African smile.BDJ open · 2025Article
- Dental discrepancies in black adolescents: evaluating impacts on well-being.Brazilian oral research · 2025Article
- Laypersons' perception of smile esthetics from different backgrounds.Dental research journal · 2024Article
- Smile Attractiveness and Treatment Needs of Maxillary Midline Diastema with Various Widths: Perception among Laypersons, Dental Students, and Dentists in Malaysia.International journal of dentistry · 2023Article
Corrections and comments
PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.
Authors and funding
2 authors at 1 institution in 1 country.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
The maxillary midline diastema (MMD) has experienced a renaissance in popular culture over the last 10 years. Current literature states that MMDs should be eliminated where possible or be reduced to 1 mm or less in width. This literature review explores the evidence for this in a West African population. A systematic search of the literature (Medline and Google Scholar) followed by a hand search was carried out to identify all papers evaluating perceptions of MMDs. In all, 209 papers were identified in the literature search, 8 of which met the inclusion criteria. The review revealed that midline diastemas are desirable in this specific population with a width of 2 to 4 mm deemed as attractive. As many as 95% of participants found the MMD beautiful, and as many as 95% would consider having one created artificially. The literature does not support the position that MMDs larger than 1 mm should always be treated to be perceived as attractive in this population. MMDs are accepted as attractive and should be considered a key feature in smile design for this population.
Indexed as
Identifiers
What OpenQuestion holds
Registered trials
Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.