Relative esthetic importance of orthodontic and color abnormalities

Abstract

Objective: To assess the relative importance of an orthodontic esthetic index, dental fluorosis and nonfluoride opacities, with respect to parents' satisfaction with their children's dental esthetics. Materials and Methods: Dental examinations of Iowa Fluoride Study participants assessed fluorosis and nonfluoride opacities in the mixed dentition. Dental casts of 200 randomly selected subjects were scored using the Dental Aesthetic Index (DAI) criteria. Parent satisfaction was assessed via multiple items on a questionnaire. Associations were evaluated using logistic regression. Results: Nineteen percent of parents were somewhat or very dissatisfied with their children's dental esthetics. Overall DAI score was positively associated with dissatisfaction (P < .001), as was fluorosis (P = .003). Conclusions: In addition to changes related to DAI scores, parent esthetic satisfaction decreased with the presence of fluorosis. Dental professionals should address both the issues of tooth positioning and color aberration with respect to dental esthetics. © 2008 by The EH Angle Education and Research Foundation, Inc.