The psychosocial impacts of implantation on the dental aesthetics of missing anterior teeth patients

Abstract

Objective The aim of the current study was to investigate the psychosocial impact of dental aesthetics among patients who received anterior implant-supported prostheses.Methods The current study is a cross-sectional evaluation involving 115 individuals who had gone through treatment at the dental clinics of general hospitals. Participants completed the Chinese version of the psychosocial impact of dental aesthetics questionnaire (PIDAQ) before implantation and six months after crown restoration. Basic demographic information was recorded. Six months after implant crown restoration, participants were asked to self-assess their own oral aesthetics compared to before implantation.Results A total of 106 patients completed the study. PIDAQ scores correlated significantly with the self-assessment of the degree of oral aesthetics. Six months after crown restoration, the two factors (social impact and aesthetic attitude) decreased and the dental self-confidence score increased significantly compared to pre-implantation scores. Gender and education level significantly affected PIDAQ.Conclusions Anterior implant-supported prostheses significantly affected the patients' psychosocial perception. Implantation of missing anterior teeth can significantly improve patients' negative psychosocial impact of dental aesthetics. Gender and education level are correlated with the degree of improvement. The PIDAQ can be used in assessing the psychosocial effects of implantation in missing anterior teeth. © 2012 Macmillan Publishers Limited. All rights reserved.