Smile and oral health

– Smile is a facial expression that can modulate the immune system including secretory immunoglobulin A saliva (SIgA). Previous research showed various levels of SIgA according to the smile type, but the effect of smile on SIgA has not been widely reported. Here we analyzed the correlation between smile shape and SIgA levels in males and females. Nineteen males and 45 females’ students of The Faculty of Medicine in Surabaya, Indonesia, between 18-21 y.o with healthy dental and mouth conditions were selected. A front face photo was taken in non-smiling and smiling positions, then the three component of smile measurement namely smile extent (SE), mouth angle (MA), smile index (SI) with the SIgA were measured. Data were analyzed using Spearman test to find correlation between SE, MA and SI with the SIgA levels (SPSS 17). We found that the non-smiling and smiling SE and MA, non-smiling SI and SIgA in males were greater than in females with significant difference in SE and SI (p<0,05). There are significant correlations between the SIgA levels and the smiling SE also with the non-smiling SI in all students. The smile measurements were different according to the gender but not the SIgA.