Summary
Most patients with excessive gum exposure during smiling, complain about an unaesthetic appearance. The gingival smile has multiple underlying causes, with a multifactorial and complex origins that can vary in degree and nature. Therefore, it is essential to identify and describe the etiological factors of the gingival smile to determine its treatment. An exhaustive search was conducted in databases such as PubMed, Web of Science, Elsevier and Lilacs to investigate the causes of the gingival smile. Initially 716 articles were identified, of which 23 were selected after applying relevance criteria and removing duplicates. The review included relevant studies and articles to analyze the etiological factors associated with the smile. The gingival smile can be due to skeletal, dental and soft tissue factors. The identified causes include vertical maxillary excess, skeletal inclination, extrusion of the upper anterior teeth, dental inclination, hypermobility of the upper lip, gingival hyperplasia, reduced upper lip length, and altered passive eruption. The diagnose the gingival smile requires a detailed clinical evaluation, that includes the analysis of the lip length and mobility, dentoalveolar analysis, periodontal examination and facial analysis. The gingival smile presents challenges due to its multifactorial nature. Dentists should consider various factors when diagnosing and treating this condition. Accurate diagnosis is crucial for developing a personalized treatment plan, which may include surgical, orthodontic or aesthetic procedures tailored to the patient´s needs to achieve functional and aesthetically satisfying results.
KEY WORDS: gingiva, orthodontics, periodontics.
How to cite this article
RAMÍREZ, S. M.; RIVERA, J. T.; BUSTOS, P. A.; ÁLVAREZ, S. V. & ÁLVAREZ, P. E. Diagnosis and etiology of gummy smile. Int. J. Odontostomat., 19(1):15-21, 2025.
