AN INTERNATIONAL COMPARATIVE MULTICENTER STUDY OF ASSESSMENT OF DENTAL APPEARANCE USING COMPUTER-AIDED IMAGE MANIPULATION

Purpose: The aim of the present investigation was to perform an intern ational multicenter comparison of dental appearance as evaluated by de ntists, dental technicians, and nondental subjects. Materials and Meth ods: The participants were drawn from three groups: 203 dentists, 197 dental technicians and 254 nondental subjects. The methods developed i na previous study in Sweden were applied again in seven centers locate d in six countries. A questionnaire, accompanied by five sets of compu ter-manipulated images portraying one man and one woman, was used to p rompt and record responses to different aspects of denial appearance a nd function. Results: The questionnaire revealed that both the dental appearance and function of teeth were important to most of the partici pants, but three quarters of the participants did indicate that good d ental function was more important than esthetics. More women (30%) tha n men (18%), however, placed greater importance on appearance. Age or gender did not influence judgments of the computer-manipulated images, although judgments did vary greatly within the three groups and betwe en the centers. Nonetheless, lightly colored teeth were preferred more often by nondental subjects than by dentists or dental technicians. C onclusion: Computer-aided image manipulation shows promise as a method for investigating the significance of dental-related beliefs, especia lly those relating to esthetics, in different population groups. The e valuation of dental appearance and function in this study indicated th at dental function is held in greater regard, and that the significanc e of dental appearance varies widely among dentists, dental technician s, and nondental subjects.