Self perceived satisfaction with dental appearance and desired treatment to improve aesthetics

Abstract

Objective: To assess the satisfaction with dental appearance, desired treatments to improve dental appearance, and factors that affect satisfaction with dental appearance among a group of Nigerian dental patients.
Methods: The data collection instrument was a modified questionnaire used in a previous study by Tin-Oo et al. It consisted of 3 sections: section 1 elicited information on the socio-demographic characteristics of the participants, section 2 determined level of satisfaction with the general appearance of their teeth and tooth colour, section 3 sought information on desire to undergo treatments to improve the appearance of their teeth as well as the desired treatment. Data collected was analysed using the IBM Statistical Package for Social Science (SPSS) version 21.0.
Results: Less than half (45.1%) of the respondents were dissatisfied with the general appearance of their teeth. More than half (53.3%) of the respondents were dissatisfied with the colour of their teeth. A few (10.7%) of the respondents felt their teeth were crowded while 24.6% felt their teeth were poorly aligned. Majority (82.8%) wished to undergo treatment to improve the appearance of their teeth. A few (12.9%) of the respondents who desired treatment to improve the appearance of their teeth desired orthodontic treatment for realignment, while 15.8% desired treatment to replace missing teeth. More than half (67.3%) desired tooth whitening procedures to improve the appearance of their teeth.
Conclusion: Tooth shade plays a vital role in self-perceived satisfaction with dental appearance. Tooth whitening was the most desired treatment to improve dental appearance.

Keywords: satisfaction, dental appearance, tooth colour, perceived.