Self-Perception of Dental Esthetics among Dental Students at King Saud University and Their Desired Treatment

OBJECTIVE: Dental esthetic procedures are popular worldwide, and dentists are responsible for recommending several treatment options to their patients. To do this competently, dentists must have an educated opinion of their features. Therefore, we aimed to evaluate the self-perception of dental esthetics among male and female dental students and assess its effect on their desired treatment. Methodology. We conducted a questionnaire-based cross-sectional study involving 450 male and female dental students from five academic years with different grade point averages (GPAs) and monthly household incomes. The questionnaire comprised four sections. The subjects selected their teeth-color preferences using a commercial shade guide. The outcomes were presented using descriptive statistics and were compared with Pearson's chi-square test. The level of statistical significance was set at a p-value of 0.05. RESULTS: Female students (52%) showed a significantly higher preference for changing their tooth color (shade B1 was desired most often), whereas male students reported a higher need for orthodontic treatment and ceramic veneers (p < 0.0001 and p=0.002). Fifth-year students were more satisfied with their teeth color as compared with 1st-year students (p=0.047). High-GPA students showed significantly lower confidence regarding their smiles (p=0.030). A high percentage of students (39.1%) with household incomes of less than 10,000 SR preferred tooth-colored restorations. CONCLUSION: We concluded that the majority of dental students were confident about their smiles. Senior students were more satisfied with their teeth color, while younger students desired whiter teeth. Bleaching and orthodontics were the most desired treatment options.