Survey among Middle and Secondary School Students about their Attitudes toward Esthetics and Perception of the Desired Treatment to Improve Dental Appearance: A Crosssectional Study

Abstract

ABSTRACT Objectives To assess disparities in attitudes concerning importance of dental appearance in middle and secondary school students, to evaluate students’ satisfaction with their current dental esthetic and to determine preferred dental treatment to improve appearance. Materials and Methods Eighteen self-administered anonymous questionnaire was randomly administered to 2250 middle and secondary school students in Buraidah city, Qassim Province, with a response rate of 100%. All statistical analyses were carried out at p < 0.05 and 0.01. Results The majority of secondary school students registered higher responses to the four statements asking about importance of dental appearance. Dissatisfaction with oral condition and general appearance of teeth was reported by 39.47% of total number of participants. Older students registering higher levels of dissatisfaction (50.42%) with a significant difference between both groups (p < 0.01). Dissatisfaction with dental appearance was mainly related to teeth color, poor alignment/ crowding of teeth, anterior teeth protrusion, caries, fractures and non-esthetic fillings. Teeth whitening, orthodontic treatment, and esthetic fillings represented the high majority of treatments perceived more by secondary school students, while dental crowns were more demanding by middle school students. A strong correlation was found between level of education and satisfaction with oral condition, the reasons for dissatisfaction with general appearance and perception of desired treatment to improve dental appearance. Conclusion Older students were more concerned about the significance of dental appearance. Secondary school students were more dissatisfied with their dental appearance. Displeasure with tooth color was correlated with increased desire for tooth whitening. Dental crowns were more required by younger students. How to cite this article Sedky NA. Survey among Middle and Secondary School Students about their Attitudes toward Esthetics and Perception of the Desired Treatment to Improve Dental Appearance: A Cross-sectional Study. J Contemp Dent 2015;5(3):136-143.