The golden ratio, first defined around the sixth century BC, has been adapted to dentistry through the theories of Levin and Snow, which apply the golden proportion to achieve an ideal smile. This study reviewed the literature and evaluated the contemporary clinical relevance of these concepts by analyzing a cohort of patients treated by an experienced orthodontic team. A retrospective analysis was conducted on 400 orthodontic patients (241 females, 159 males). Intraoral frontal photographs were examined both before and after treatment to determine whether there were statistically significant differences in tooth display in relation to the golden mean and golden proportion principles. After orthodontic treatment, the canine teeth were more prominent than the proportions suggested by Levin and Snow. While aspects of these theories may still provide guidance, they are not entirely consistent with current clinical outcomes. Among the two, Snow’s theory aligns more closely with the observed post-treatment dental esthetics.
