ENAMEL OPACITIES AND DENTAL AESTHETICS

Objectives: The purpose of this study was to determine the esthetic im portance of different types of developmental enamel defect. Methods: I n the first method used, individual subjects from three different popu lations with less than 0.1, 0.7, and 0.9 ppm fluoride in their drinkin g water, were asked about the appearance of their teeth and results co mpared to assessments of clinical photographs made by a single examine r. In the second method used, dentist and lay observers were asked to assess the appearance of the dentition of selected individuals who had a range of enamel defects. Results: According to the first method, bo th the size of demarcated opacities and the degree of enamel hypominer alization (TF index) were related to satisfaction with appearance. How ever, there was no difference in satisfaction with the appearance of t he teeth among the three areas included in this study In the second me thod, similar types of enamel defects were found to be esthetic stimul i as with the first study, but the dentists responded more strongly to the stimulus of enamel hypomineralization than the lay examiners. Con clusions: Both demarcated opacities and enamel hypomineralization may be important when assessing differences between populations. Further, esthetic ratings by dentists may not be a suitable means of assessing the esthetic importance of different types of enamel defects.