Assessment of psychosocial impact of dental aesthetics

Abstract

Introduction: It is very important to ascertain the psychological impact of facial esthetics. Children are under immense peer pressure with facial disfigurements. Hence the present study evaluates the psychosocial impact of dental aesthetics by using ‘Psychosocial Impact of Dental Aesthetics Questionnaire’ (PIDAQ) and self-rated Aesthetic Component (AC) of the Index of Orthodontic Treatment Need (IOTN).

Material and Methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted at Islamic International Dental Hospital, Islamabad between November 16 to January 17 which included 310 adults without the provision of orthodontic treatment in the past. The subjects answered an Urdu version of Psychosocial Impact of Dental Aesthetics Questionnaire (PIDAQ) containing five variables namely ‘Dental Self-confidence’, ‘Psychological Impact’, ‘Social Impact’, ‘Aesthetic Concern’ and ‘Self-perceived orthodontic treatment need’ and self-rated their dental aesthetics using IOTN Aesthetic Component.

Results: Comparison between genders was found to be insignificant while between dentists and other professionals was found to be significant. All of the above mentioned variables of PIDAQ showed positive correlation with self-rated IOTN Aesthetic Component, with p-value of 0.00 except one variable i.e.  ‘Aesthetic concern’.

Conclusions: The results suggest strong correlation between self-perceived dental aesthetics and its psychosocial impact on an individual. Minor altered dental aesthetics may have significant psychosocial impact and hence increased self-perceived need for orthodontic treatment.