The perception of the components of a smile and its aesthetics in general is determined by anatomical features and the norms formed in specific ethnic communities. The purpose of the study is to establish the influence of higher education on the perception of diastema as a factor determining the aesthetics of a smile. Materials and methods. The survey revealed the peculiarities of smile and diastema perception by first- and fifth-year university students. The survey included 94 African students studying in Russia and the same number of students living in the Russian Federation. The results of the study. Among the students from Africa, 12.8% of those in their first-year and 6.4% of fifth-year students consider a gingival smile quite attractive. The Russian students participating in the survey do not consider it aesthetically pleasing. The attractiveness of the diastema is greatest among first-year African students, being significantly lower among the fifth-year ones. The smile aesthetics perception dynamics should be considered as a cross-cultural influence that may take place while African students are receiving higher education in Russia.