8-10 yaş grubu çocukların gülüş estetiği ile ilgili tutum ve algılarının değerlendirilmesi

Abstract

Aims: The aim of this study is to determine the attitudes and perceptions of 8-10-year-old children regarding smile aesthetics. 
 Methods: The cross-sectional study included 159 children aged 8-10 and their parents who were undergoing treatment in the Department of Pedodontics at İstanbul University. Participants were asked to fill out a questionnaire consisting of 26 questions. The first 8 questions aimed to assess the socio-demographic characteristics of the families, while the remaining 18 questions measured the attitudes and perceptions of children regarding smile aesthetics in 7 categories. The categories included satisfaction/dissatisfaction, honesty, sacrifice/deceit, selfishness, extroversion/introversion, personal happiness, intelligence, health status, and leadership. Photographs of children with different dental conditions (normally aligned teeth, crowded incisors, and diastema) were shown to the participants. Statistical analyses were performed using SPSS 25.0 software. 
 Results: Data regarding the seven areas of interest showed that children aged 8-10 years viewed their peers with normally-aligned teeth more favourably as far as extroversion and health status were concerned (p=0.042 and p=0.022 respectively). However, there was no statistically significant difference with regard to satisfaction/dissatisfaction, honesty, sacrifice/deceit, selfishness, personal happiness, intelligence and leadership in children with harmonious, as opposed to crowded or diastema.
 Conclusion: Our study suggests that smile aesthetics have a significant impact on social perception during childhood. Orthodontic treatments not only affect smile aesthetics but also influence individuals' social aspects.