The impact of dental appearance on perceptions of personal characteristicsamong Chinese people in the United Kingdom

Objective: To ascertain whether dental appearance affects perceptions of pe rsonal characteristics among Chinese people living in the UK. Design: Cross -sectional analytic interview study. Setting: Public places frequented by C hinese people. Participants: Quota sample of 165 Chinese adults living in t he UK. Methods: Each participant was asked to make judgements about the per sonal characteristics of the subject of a single colour photograph. Fifteen photographs were used of five different men each with three degrees of den tal disease. Main outcomes: Judgements of the adjustment and social and int ellectual competence of the subjects of the photographs. Results: Participa nts judged subjects with less dental disease to be better adjusted and more intellectually competent. Conclusion: Dental appearance affected the judge ments about some personal characteristics made by the Chinese people studie d. Dental appearance may influence social interactions and contribute to so cial selection and the associations between health and socio-economic statu s.