Aesthetic Perception of Dental Fluorosis - Opinions of Dentists and Non-Specialists

Aesthetic perception of the changes in teeth appearance is one of the factors that makes a person undertake a dental treatment. Objective: The aim of this study was to survey dentists' and non-specialists' aesthetic perception of dental fluorosis. Patients and methods: We recruited 120 young people (age range 18 - 22 years with little knowledge of dental fluorosis and 120 randomly selected dentists. Evaluation of the abnormalities in the teeth aesthetic appearance was conducted using cards specially designed for the purpose. Results: The results suggest that changes in dental fluorosis, even in the mildest forms, are perceived as deviations in the aesthetic appearance of teeth. Non-specialists are more tolerant towards the changes characteristic of mild dental fluorosis compared with their reaction to other conditions that result in deviations in the type of dentition as a whole. Conclusion: Further studies are needed to more precisely determine the role of aesthetic perception in determining the indications for the complex treatment of dental fluorosis.