Digital Smile Design: A Comprehensive Narrative Review in Contemporary Prosthodontics

AbstractDigital Smile Design (DSD) represents a paradigm shift in esthetic and functional planning within prosthodontics. It integrates facial, dental, and gingival parameters into a single digital workflow that enhances diagnostic accuracy, interdisciplinary communication, and patient engagement. This narrative review summarizes the conceptual evolution, clinical workflow, software platforms, recent evidence, and future directions of DSD. Literature from 2010–2025 was analyzed, emphasizing studies from 2020 onward that evaluated clinical effectiveness, patient satisfaction, and technological innovation. The review highlights how DSD bridges digital technology with esthetic philosophy, providing clinicians with predictable and patient centered outcomes. Future developments such as artificial intelligence (AI), augmented and virtual reality (AR/VR), and 4D dynamic analysis are expected to refine treatment predictability and personalization further.