Psychosocial Impact of Dental Aesthetics among Secondary School Students in Birnin Kebbi, Northern Nigeria: Population-Based Study

Abstract

Introduction: Dental aesthetics is a major determinant of good psychosocial well-being. Individuals with good dental aesthetic  appearance tend to enjoy better social interactions and quality of life than those with poor dental aesthetic appearance. This study aims to assess the psychosocial impact of dental aesthetics among secondary school students in Birnin Kebbi metropolis, Kebbi State, Northern Nigeria.

Material and Methods: This study was a questionnaire-based cross-sectional survey of 692 students attending Army Day Boys  Secondary School (ADBSS) and Army Day Girls Secondary School (ADGSS), Birnin Kebbi. Data collected was analysed using SPSS version 20 software.

Results: The majority (75.4%) of the 692 respondents were within the age range of 15 – 19 years of age, 50.7% were in SS 1 class, and  53.7% were females. The majority (>82%) of the respondents were confident about the appearance of their dentition, roughly half of the respondents were negatively impacted, socially, by the appearance of their dentition. There exists a statistically significant relationship between respondents' gender and: psychosocial self-perception of their dental aesthetics (p-values<0.05); and concerns about their dental aesthetics (p-values<0.05).

Conclusion: This study concluded that many of the surveyed northern Nigeria secondary school students were not convenient with  their current dental aesthetic appearances. Appropriate counselling, public health, and clinical intervention programmes may go a  very long way in minimizing the negative impact of dental aesthetics-associated psychosocial problems among this population group

Keywords: Psychosocial impact, oral health, dental aesthetics, students, Nigeria