January 2023

Objective: This study aimed to evaluate self-esteem and patient’s satisfaction before and after surgical correction of altered passive eruption (APE) type 1B in the anterior maxilla, in a three and 18-months follow-up; and postoperative pain and discomfort. Materials and Methods: Twelve individuals (mean age 23.3±4.2 years) were submitted to gingivoplasty, osteoplasty and osteotomy, and answered to questionnaires including the Visual Analog Scale (0-10). Results: At baseline, patients expressed that esthetics, in general, had a high importance in their lives (8.0±1.3), as well as the smile esthetics (8.5±1.6). Self-esteem improved from baseline (3.6±2.4), compared to the 3rd (9.3±0.8) and 18th month (9.1±0.6) (p<0.001). Satisfaction with the smile increased from baseline (4.1±3.1) up to the 3rd (9.5±0.6) and 18th postoperative month (9.4±0.5) (p=0.002). At the 3rd day after surgery, pain decreased significantly (4.1±2.8 to 0.7±1.2, p=0.001) and discomfort remained mild (2.7±2.4 to 0.6±0.8, p>0.05). Correlation analysis revealed that the greater the aesthetic demand of the patient at baseline, the greater was the increase in self-esteem (correlation coefficient >0.9, p<0.001). Conclusion: In the present study, surgical procedure led to an improvement in patient’s self-esteem and satisfaction with the smile’s aesthetics, which was maintained up to the 18th month of follow-up. Pain and discomfort reached a mild degree in the first three postoperative days.