Dental Defects Impact on Facial Esthetics Perception

Objectives: Our study was designed to assess the impact of dental defects on the overall perception of facial esthetics in lay persons as compared to dental specialists. Methods: We have performed a survey on a sample population of 150 people, divided in 2 groups: patients with ages 18-52 and dental specialists, dentists and dental students. Patients were classified according to the following criteria: age, sex and education level. We have conceived an 8 question-survey regarding the personal interest in esthetic appearance and in dental esthetics. We have included five colored images of dental arches of actual clinical cases presenting four dental esthetic alterations: discoloration, crowding, spacing, changes in the shape of the teeth, and one with perfect teeth. The raters were asked to score every image with 1 to 10 points, 10 being very unattractive and 1 very attractive. Data was statistically analyzed using the SPSS program and Spearmann correlation. Results: Our results showed that position changes, especially crowding of the teeth were percieved as the most unattractive characteristics by the great majority of the subjects in our population. Discoloration came in second place, but we have found statistically significant differences in the judgement of lay persons and trained dental persons. Conclusion: Teeth position and teeth color play a major role in the esthetics of the smile. Therefore, treating these anomalies is essential for the psychology of teenagers and adolescents as it has a great influence on self-esteem and others' perception of facial attractiveness. There are significant differences between patients' and dentists' perception of dental esthetics, therefore communication in esthetic dentistry is of crucial importance.