Facial SatisfactionPhase 1NCT05798650
the Effect of Viewing Idealized Smile Images Versus Nature Images Via Social Media on Immediate Facial Satisfaction in Young Adults: a Randomized Controlled Trial.
A Phase 1 study testing facial dissatisfaction in people with Facial Satisfaction, run by Altamash Institute of Dental Medicine at 1 site in Pakistan.
Trial summary
The study was conducted to investigate the effect of social networking site on facial and smile dissatisfaction, face related discrepancy, and whether these effects differ from the use of appearance-neutral Instagram images. Read more about this study
- Who is it for?
- Ages 18 to 35 yearsHealthy volunteers can take part
- Conditions the study is for
- Facial Satisfaction
- What is being tested?
- facial dissatisfaction
- Type of treatment
- Lifestyle or therapy programme
- Could I receive a placebo?
- Yes, some participants may receive a placebo
- How many people
- 50 participants
- Where
- 1 sitePakistan
- Study dates
- 5 Jan 2023to 4 Jan 2024
- Phase
- Phase 1
- Are there results?
- None posted in the registry
Key requirements
Who can take part, as listed by the sponsor. Only the study team can confirm whether you are eligible, so take this list to your doctor.
- Ages 18 to 35 years
- All sexes
- Healthy volunteers accepted
- Adult
Who may be able to join
- college graduates
- User of one social networking site (Instagram)
Who cannot join
- low socioeconomic status
- user of social networking sites other then instagram.
Trial locations and contacts
1 site in 1 country.
About this study
The study was conducted to investigate the effect of social networking site on facial and smile dissatisfaction, face related discrepancy, and whether these effects differ from the use of appearance-neutral Instagram images.
Read the detailed description
The study was conducted to investigate the effect of social networking site on facial and smile dissatisfaction, face related discrepancy, and whether these effects differ from the use of appearance-neutral Instagram images.
A simple random sampling technique was used for the recruitment of participants in this technique. Participants were both male and female undergraduate and graduate students. The participants were told that it is a study on social media. Participants were 18-35 years as 90% of Instagram users are aged between 18-35 years. Two sets of images were compiled for this study. One set had Instagram user images of attractive smiles. The other set had appearance-neutral Instagram images of nature. All the images were chosen from public Instagram images.
The first author shortlisted 100 pictures with a hashtag #smile from Instagram. The photographs were of people with full attractive smile and well aligned teeth. These pictures were chosen from public profiles on Instagram. The photographs had an equal proportion of celebrity and non-celebrity faces and the age group was also similar to the people participating in the study (18-35 years).
The neutral images for the control group were chosen with a hashtag nature on Instagram. These images only had nature and no people in them.
The stimulus material were chosen from Instagram. The images were tested by using a 5 point Likert scale by a team with 3 members, an orthodontist, a prosthodontist and a restorative dentist. The images were judged by the attractiveness of smile and teeth (1=very attractive, 5=very unattractive), image quality (1=very good quality, 5=not good quality), general appeal (1=very appealing, 5=not at all appealing) and enjoyment (1=very enjoyable, 2=not at all enjoyable). Out of 100 images, total 60 will be selected.
After obtaining a written informed consent participants were divided into two groups, the experimental group and the control group. The experimental group will view 60 images of attractive smiles on their phone and the control group will view 60 appearance- neutral Instagram images of nature.
A questionnaire was designed to investigate the effect of social networking site on facial and smile dissatisfaction, face related discrepancy and whether these effects differ from the use of appearance-neutral Instagram images. The questionnaire also assessed the use of social media and its effect on people.
The questionnaire consisted of general information including name, age and gender. The participants were also asked about their history of orthodontic / aesthetic / psychological treatments.
Facial dissatisfaction was measured using orofacial aesthetic scale and smile aesthetic satisfaction scale. Participants were asked about how they feel about their smile at that point of time. Answer was assessed using visual analogue scale. Further the participants were asked about their level of satisfaction with their smile using 3 point Likert scale.
The state appearance comparison scale was used to see what the participants thought about their own appearance, their comparison to photographs, and the comparison of their smile, teeth and face to the photographs. This was assessed using a 7 point Likert scale.
The state variant of self-discrepancy index was used to measure appearance discrepancy. Participants were asked about 5 things they would like to change in their appearance based on their facial and dental aesthetics.
the participants were also asked about their number of followers on Instagram, the number of personal friends they follow on Instagram, the number of celebrities they follow on Instagram.
- Conditions
- Facial Satisfaction
- Being tested
- facial dissatisfaction
- Keywords
- facial satisfaction, ideal smile, nature, social media
What participants receive
What participants receive. In a randomised study each person is assigned to one group by chance.
facial dissatisfactionBehavioural
Also called state appearance comaprison
Facial dissatisfaction was measured using orofacial aesthetic scale. Participants were asked about how they feel about their smile at that point of time.
The state appearance comparison scale was used to see what the participants thought about their own appearance, their comparison to photographs, and the comparison of their smile, teeth and face to the photographs.
| Study group | Role | What they receive |
|---|---|---|
| instagram user images of attractive smiles | Experimental | the experimental group had 60 instagram user images of attractive smiles. The first author shortlisted 100 pictures with a hashtag #smile from Instagram. The photographs were of people with full attractive smile and well aligned teeth. These pictures were chosen from public profiles on Instagram. The photographs had an equal proportion of celebrity and non-celebrity faces and the age group was also similar to the people participating in the study (18-35 years). Receives: Behavioral: facial dissatisfaction |
| instagram images of nature | Placebo comparator | the control group had 60 appearance- neutral Instagram images of nature. The neutral images for the control group were chosen with a hashtag nature on Instagram. These images only had nature and no people in them. Receives: Behavioral: facial dissatisfaction |
What is being measured
The primary outcome is the main question the study is designed to answer.
the effect of viewing idealized smile images vs nature images via social media on immediate facial satisfaction.
The study was conducted to investigate the effect of social networking site on facial and smile dissatisfaction, face related discrepancy, and whether these effects differ from the use of appearance-neutral Instagram images.
Measured: 5 minutes
Timeline
From the start of the study to its completion; the mark is today. Estimated dates are the sponsor’s plan.
- First posted4 Apr 2023
- Study start5 Jan 2023
- Primary completion4 Jan 2024
- Study completion4 Jan 2024
Resources
- Official record on ClinicalTrials.govThe registry entry this page is built from, with its full change history.
- Publications (1)Papers the sponsor has linked to this study.
- Other trials for Facial SatisfactionStudies of the same condition, open and under way.
- What the trial phases meanHow a treatment moves from first tests in people to approval.
More details
For doctors and researchers: how the study is designed, who runs it, and its registry IDs.
Study design
- Study type
- Interventional
- Phase
- Phase 1
- Primary purpose
- Diagnosis
- Allocation
- Randomised
- Intervention model
- Parallel groups
- Model description
- After obtaining a written informed consent participants were divided into two groups, the experimental group and the control group. The experimental group had 60 Instagram user images of attractive smiles and the control group had 60 appearance- neutral Instagram images of nature. The neutral images for the control group were chosen with a hashtag nature on Instagram. These images only had nature and no people in them. A questionnaire was designed to investigate the effect of social networking site on facial and smile dissatisfaction, face related discrepancy and whether these effects differ from the use of appearance-neutral Instagram images. The questionnaire also assessed the use of social media and its effect on people.
- Masking
- Quadruple blind
- Who is masked
- Participant, Care provider, Investigator, Outcomes assessor
- Enrolment
- 50 participants (actual)
Sponsor and investigators
- Lead sponsor
- Altamash Institute of Dental Medicine
- Sponsor type
- University, hospital or other
- Responsible party
- Principal investigator, Dr Maria Shakoor, Altamash Institute of Dental Medicine
- Investigators
- dr maria shakoor, bds,fcps, Principal investigator, Altamash Institute of Dental Medicine
IDs, dates and publications
- ClinicalTrials.gov ID
- NCT05798650
- Sponsor's protocol ID
- AIDM/ERC/11/2022/O1
- Status last verified
- Jan 2024
- First submitted
- 23 Mar 2023
- Last updated
- 26 Jan 2024
- Results posted
- No
- Data monitoring committee
- Yes
- FDA-regulated drug
- No
- FDA-regulated device
- No
Publications
Abbasi MS, Akhtar S, Faisal A, Minallah S, Altamash S, Ahmed N, Khan AU, Heboyan A. Impact of Idealized Online Content on Smile Satisfaction in Young Adults: A Randomized Controlled Trial. Health Sci Rep. 2026 Mar 2;9(3):e72000. doi: 10.1002/hsr2.72000. eCollection 2026 Mar.
PubMed 41782659
Study at a glance
From the registry record, last updated by the sponsor on 26 Jan 2024. Recruitment status is as the sponsor reported it: confirm with the study team.
- Official title
- the Effect of Viewing Idealized Smile Images Versus Nature Images Via Social Media on Immediate Facial Satisfaction in Young Adults: a Randomized Controlled Trial.
- ClinicalTrials.gov ID
- NCT05798650
- Acronym / sponsor ID
- AIDM/ERC/11/2022/O1
- Conditions
- Facial Satisfaction
- Keywords
- facial satisfaction, ideal smile, nature, social media
- Phase
- Phase 1
- Study type
- Interventional
- Recruitment status
- Completed
- Enrolment
- 50 participants (actual)
- Lead sponsor
- Altamash Institute of Dental MedicineUniversity, hospital or other
- Study start
- 5 Jan 2023 (actual)
- Primary completion
- 4 Jan 2024 (actual)
- Study completion
- 4 Jan 2024 (actual)
- First posted
- 4 Apr 2023 (actual)
- Results
- Not posted in the source record
Clinical summary
The research question as the sponsor registered it. This describes what the study plans to test, not what it found.
The study was conducted to investigate the effect of social networking site on facial and smile dissatisfaction, face related discrepancy, and whether these effects differ from the use of appearance-neutral Instagram images.
Detailed description
The study was conducted to investigate the effect of social networking site on facial and smile dissatisfaction, face related discrepancy, and whether these effects differ from the use of appearance-neutral Instagram images.
A simple random sampling technique was used for the recruitment of participants in this technique. Participants were both male and female undergraduate and graduate students. The participants were told that it is a study on social media. Participants were 18-35 years as 90% of Instagram users are aged between 18-35 years. Two sets of images were compiled for this study. One set had Instagram user images of attractive smiles. The other set had appearance-neutral Instagram images of nature. All the images were chosen from public Instagram images.
The first author shortlisted 100 pictures with a hashtag #smile from Instagram. The photographs were of people with full attractive smile and well aligned teeth. These pictures were chosen from public profiles on Instagram. The photographs had an equal proportion of celebrity and non-celebrity faces and the age group was also similar to the people participating in the study (18-35 years).
The neutral images for the control group were chosen with a hashtag nature on Instagram. These images only had nature and no people in them.
The stimulus material were chosen from Instagram. The images were tested by using a 5 point Likert scale by a team with 3 members, an orthodontist, a prosthodontist and a restorative dentist. The images were judged by the attractiveness of smile and teeth (1=very attractive, 5=very unattractive), image quality (1=very good quality, 5=not good quality), general appeal (1=very appealing, 5=not at all appealing) and enjoyment (1=very enjoyable, 2=not at all enjoyable). Out of 100 images, total 60 will be selected.
After obtaining a written informed consent participants were divided into two groups, the experimental group and the control group. The experimental group will view 60 images of attractive smiles on their phone and the control group will view 60 appearance- neutral Instagram images of nature.
A questionnaire was designed to investigate the effect of social networking site on facial and smile dissatisfaction, face related discrepancy and whether these effects differ from the use of appearance-neutral Instagram images. The questionnaire also assessed the use of social media and its effect on people.
The questionnaire consisted of general information including name, age and gender. The participants were also asked about their history of orthodontic / aesthetic / psychological treatments.
Facial dissatisfaction was measured using orofacial aesthetic scale and smile aesthetic satisfaction scale. Participants were asked about how they feel about their smile at that point of time. Answer was assessed using visual analogue scale. Further the participants were asked about their level of satisfaction with their smile using 3 point Likert scale.
The state appearance comparison scale was used to see what the participants thought about their own appearance, their comparison to photographs, and the comparison of their smile, teeth and face to the photographs. This was assessed using a 7 point Likert scale.
The state variant of self-discrepancy index was used to measure appearance discrepancy. Participants were asked about 5 things they would like to change in their appearance based on their facial and dental aesthetics.
the participants were also asked about their number of followers on Instagram, the number of personal friends they follow on Instagram, the number of celebrities they follow on Instagram.
Study design
- Primary purpose
- Diagnosis
- Allocation
- Randomised
- Intervention model
- Parallel groups
- Masking
- Quadruple blind (participant, care provider, investigator, outcomes assessor)
- Number of arms
- 2
- Model description
- After obtaining a written informed consent participants were divided into two groups, the experimental group and the control group. The experimental group had 60 Instagram user images of attractive smiles and the control group had 60 appearance- neutral Instagram images of nature. The neutral images for the control group were chosen with a hashtag nature on Instagram. These images only had nature and no people in them. A questionnaire was designed to investigate the effect of social networking site on facial and smile dissatisfaction, face related discrepancy and whether these effects differ from the use of appearance-neutral Instagram images. The questionnaire also assessed the use of social media and its effect on people.
| Arm | Type | Receives |
|---|---|---|
| instagram user images of attractive smiles | Experimental | Behavioral: facial dissatisfactionthe experimental group had 60 instagram user images of attractive smiles. The first author shortlisted 100 pictures with a hashtag #smile from Instagram. The photographs were of people with full attractive smile and well aligned teeth. These pictures were chosen from public profiles on Instagram. The photographs had an equal proportion of celebrity and non-celebrity faces and the age group was also similar to the people participating in the study (18-35 years). |
| instagram images of nature | Placebo comparator | Behavioral: facial dissatisfactionthe control group had 60 appearance- neutral Instagram images of nature. The neutral images for the control group were chosen with a hashtag nature on Instagram. These images only had nature and no people in them. |
Who may qualify
- Ages
- 18 to 35 years
- Sex
- All
- Healthy volunteers
- Accepted
- Age groups
- Adult
Key inclusion criteria (2 listed)
- college graduates
- User of one social networking site (Instagram)
Key exclusion criteria (2 listed)
- low socioeconomic status
- user of social networking sites other then instagram.
Eligibility is decided by the study team after screening; this overview does not establish that a patient qualifies. Full inclusion and exclusion criteria.
Interventions
| Intervention | Type | Arms |
|---|---|---|
| facial dissatisfactionAlso: state appearance comaprisonFacial dissatisfaction was measured using orofacial aesthetic scale. Participants were asked about how they feel about their smile at that point of time. The state appearance comparison scale was used to see what the participants thought about their own appearance, their comparison to photographs, and the comparison of their smile, teeth and face to the photographs. | Behavioural | instagram images of nature, instagram user images of attractive smiles |
Primary outcome
the effect of viewing idealized smile images vs nature images via social media on immediate facial satisfaction.
Time frame: 5 minutes
The study was conducted to investigate the effect of social networking site on facial and smile dissatisfaction, face related discrepancy, and whether these effects differ from the use of appearance-neutral Instagram images.
Results and safety
The study is completed, but results are not available in the source record. That does not mean the treatment did or did not work.
Research links
- Official record on ClinicalTrials.govLast updated by the sponsor 26 Jan 2024.
- Derived from this study: PubMed 41782659Abbasi MS, Akhtar S, Faisal A, Minallah S, Altamash S, Ahmed N, Khan AU, Heboyan A. Impact of Idealized Online Content on Smile Satisfaction in Young Adults: A Randomized Controlled Trial. Health Sci Rep. 2026 Mar 2;9(3):e72000. doi: 10.1002/hsr2.72000. eCollection 2026 Mar.
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Referral and contact
AzTrials does not enrol participants or take referrals. Contact the study team or a site listed below; they decide who can take part. This study is not recruiting at the moment.
dr maria shakoor, bds,fcps principal investigator
Altamash Institute of Dental Medicine
1 site in 1 country: see every site and its status.
Questions about this trial
What is this clinical trial studying?
A Phase 1 study testing facial dissatisfaction in people with Facial Satisfaction, run by Altamash Institute of Dental Medicine at 1 site in Pakistan.
The full registered description is in the About this study section and the official record.
Who may be eligible to take part?
The sponsor lists 2 inclusion and 2 exclusion criteria. Eligibility is decided by the study team after screening, so read the full criteria and contact a listed site.
Is this clinical trial currently recruiting?
The record says: finished, as of the sponsor's last update on 26 Jan 2024. Status can change between updates, so confirm with the study contact before making plans.
Where is the study taking place?
The record lists 1 site in Pakistan. Whether a site is taking part right now should be confirmed with that site. See every site.
What are the possible benefits and risks?
They depend on the study and the treatment, and no study can promise a benefit. Some participants in this study may receive a placebo. The study team explains the known risks during informed consent, before anyone joins; the record itself does not list them.
What does this phase mean?
Phase 1 studies test a treatment in a small group of people for the first time or in a new way, mainly to check safety and find the right dose.
Not every study follows the same path, and some studies (observational studies, device studies) have no phase.
Are results available for this study?
The study is completed, but results are not available in the source record. That does not mean the treatment did or did not work.
How can a doctor refer a patient or contact the research team?
The record lists no contact. The official record names the sponsor, who can be asked directly. AzTrials does not enrol participants or take referrals.
What does the primary outcome measure?
the effect of viewing idealized smile images vs nature images via social media on immediate facial satisfaction. (time frame: 5 minutes). It is what the study was designed to measure, not a finding.
Where can I read the original study information?
On the ClinicalTrials.gov record for NCT05798650, which also lists 1 linked publication.
Does a listing mean the treatment is approved or proven to work?
No. A listing means the study is registered. It does not show that the treatment is safe, works, or is approved by a regulator.
How often is this information updated?
AzTrials copies changed records from ClinicalTrials.gov every night and reloads the whole registry every week. The sponsor last updated this record on 26 Jan 2024.