Factors Related to Patients' Satisfaction With Appearance of Maxillary Teeth

Objectives: Until recently, restorative dentistry considered mostly functional demands. Today, with the decrease in caries prevalence, the focus has shifted toward dental esthetics. The aim of this study was to evaluate the factors influencing patient's satisfaction with dental appearance of maxillary anterior teeth. Methods: The study population consisted of 75 adults (28 men and 46 women; mean age 25 ± 3.5 years). They completed a questionnaire regarding satisfaction with current dental esthetics issues, such as satisfaction with tooth appearance, color, shape and alignment of maxillary anterior teeth. The answers were compared with the current status (type of the restorative or prosthetic appliance), color, size and the shape of the maxillary anterior teeth. Results: Of the 75 subjects, 40 (53%) were dissatisfied with their dental appearance. Teeth color was the primary reason for dissatisfaction (31 of 40 subjects; 77.5%), followed by teeth shape (26 of 40 subjects; 65%) and poor teeth alignment (25 of 40 subjects; 62.5%). Eighty percent (32 subjects) of the subjects who were dissatisfied reported the desire for improvement in teeth appearance in general. A significant positive correlation was obtained between the patient's satisfaction with teeth appearance and color, width/length ratio and current status of the maxillary anterior teeth (p<0.001). Conclusion: Patient's satisfaction with appearance of maxillary anterior teeth was low (more than 50%). Esthetic aspect should therefore receive special attention in dental treatment and the color of the teeth should be regarded as of special importance.