Perception of treatment needs for dental aesthetics : a comparison between laypeople and dentists in Hong Kong

Abstract

Aim: Patients visit dentists not solely for treatment of oral diseases and correction of functional problems, but also for improving appearance and psycho-social well-being. This study aimed to compare the perception of treatment needs for dental aesthetics between the Hong Kong: 1) laypeople and dentists, 2) young and middle-aged adults, and 3) men and women. Materials and Methods: Due to limited time and resources, a selective quota sampling was adopted in this study. Interviews, either face-to-face or via video-conference, were conducted with 100 young (18-35 years old) and 100 middle-aged (40-60 years old) laypersons, and 40 dentists. The male to female ratio for the lay participants was set to be 1:1. Seven clinical photographs showing the anterior teeth (no missing teeth or caries), gums and part of the lips were presented to the interviewees in a random order. They were asked to indicate, for each photograph, which aspects needed to be treated and for each aspect, to what extent, in a scale from 0 to 5, the treatment was necessary. Their responses as well as their demographic background were recorded using an electronic device. Results: The interviewed dentists expressed treatment needs for most of the 7 photographs which was more than that of the laypeople (mean = 5.9 vs. 4.4, p<0.01). Statistically significant difference in their opinions towards dental aesthetics was obtained in tooth shape/size, unsightly restoration and midline/diastema (all p<0.01). The mean treatment necessity ratings given by the dentists were also higher (all p<0.01). Comparing the young adults with the middle-aged, both groups had the same mean number of photographs with perceived aesthetic treatment needs (4.4 of 7 photographs). There was generally no significant difference in the perception of treatment needs on dental aesthetics between the male and female participants. Among the dentists, those who practised orthodontics indicated a treatment need for tooth alignment more often than the dentists who did not (mean = 5.1 vs. 3.3 photographs, p<0.01) but not in other aspects. Conclusion: Hong Kong dentists are more critical than laypeople on the appearance of teeth but not that of the gingiva. There is no significant difference in the perceptions of treatment needs between the young and the middle-aged laypeople, nor between the men and the women in Hong Kong. Hong Kong dentists practising orthodontic treatment perceive higher treatment needs for correcting tooth alignment than the dentists who do not.