Factors influencing dental appearance satisfaction in adolescents: a cross-sectional study conducted in Southern Brazil

Abstract

The perception of dental aesthetic appearance may affect social interaction and psychological status, influencing dental needs and the search for treatments. Aim: To investigate the satisfaction with dental appearance and influencing factors among adolescents. Methods: The study was carried out among adolescents aged 14 to 19 years attending a private high school in Brazil. Data on demographic information, the perception of dental appearance, previous aesthetic treatments and wish to perform dental treatments were collected in the school. Data were analyzed using Pearson’s chi-square test or Linear Trend. Multivariate analysis was performed using the Poisson regression. Results: A total of 531 adolescents (Response rate = 98.3%) answered the questionnaire. The prevalence of dissatisfaction with dental appearance was 17.4%. Almost 65% had history of previous orthodontic treatment and 16% performed dental bleaching. Approximately 45% of children wished to undergo orthodontics and 54.8% to bleach their teeth. Dissatisfaction with dental appearance was associated with individuals unsatisfied with dental color (95% IC[1.73;4.32]), those perceiving poor dental alignment (PR3.16 95% IC[2.11;4.72]) and those wishing orthodontic treatment (PR2.9; 95% IC[1.79; 4.70]). Conclusions: The prevalence of dissatisfaction was considerable and was associated with aesthetic concerns such as tooth color, dental alignment and with the wish for orthodontics. In this young population, a large part of adolescents had already performed orthodontic and bleaching treatments and wished to perform those treatments again. Satisfaction with dental appearance could affect the adolescents’ behavior regarding search for dental treatment, thus causing possible overtreatment.

Percepção e informação sobre saúde bucal: estudo com adolescentes de uma escola pública

“…É necessário considerar a atenção à saúde de adolescentes como primordial. Se estes jovens não forem, precocemente, assistidos por ações de promoção da saúde, os impactos decorrentes da doença instalada se estenderão ao longo da vida destes sujeitos (GRANVILLe-GARCIA et al, 2011;RÖSING;COLUSSI, 2012;FReIXINHO;MIASATO, 2012;BOTTAN et al, 2015;OLIVeIRA et al, 2015;ZAMBONI et al, 2015;BOeIRA et al, 2016 Neste sentido, observou-se que a maioria da amostra investigada efetivou sua última visita ao dentista a menos de um ano. este dado também foi relatado por outros estudos efetivados com adolescentes de outros contextos (BONAN et al, 2003;LISBOA;ABeGG, 2006;BALDANI et al, 2011;SILVeIRA et al, 2012;SILVeIRA et al, 2015).…”

“…estes jovens, também, possuem um satisfatório nível de percepção para com a aparência de seus dentes. e, neste sentido, é oportuno destacar que para os adolescentes a estética pode afetar a autoestima, influenciando na saúde psicológica e física (BOEIRA et al, 2016).…”

Self‐perceived dental treatment need among adolescents: A hierarchical analysis

“…21 The high level of dissatisfaction with the appearance of the teeth among Brazilians has been investigated in a previous study and presented association with the colour and misalignment of teeth, even among those who had undergone bleaching and orthodontic treatment. 22 Thus, it is important to understand in which way the adolescents' body image is constructed. Youngsters are known to make comparisons with one another and judge one another through the influence of the mass communication media that convey the physical norms of attractiveness.…”

Factors associated with gingival bleeding in adolescents

“…The majority of individuals chose the "high" response option when asked about self-esteem, demonstrating a self-judgment of value, confidence and competence [16]. Adequate oral health is an important component of general health, providing effective communication, a varied diet as well as improvements in quality of life, self-esteem and social relations [23].…”

“…One of the limitations of the present study regards the use of the CPI, which is limited to the evaluation of one tooth per sextant and therefore information on other teeth is not taken into account, which could lead to an overestimation or underestimation of the data [23,24]. Other limitations were absence of a standard setting for the examinations, which were conducted in a room at the schools, some of which had natural light, whereas others had artificial light, and some had more space than others to enable the examiner to find the most adequate position for the examination.…”