Evaluation of the Psychosocial Impact of Dental Attractiveness Among the University of Khartoum Dental Students and Registrars.

BACKGROUND

Dental aesthetics play a significant role in psychosocial well-being, especially among dental professionals who are both evaluators and subjects of aesthetic standards. In Sudan, limited data exist regarding the psychosocial impact of malocclusion among dental students and registrars.

AIM: To assess the psychosocial impact of dental aesthetics among University of Khartoum dental students and registrars.

METHODS

A descriptive cross-sectional study was conducted among 287 participants (188 dental students and 99 registrars) at the University of Khartoum, Faculty of Dentistry. Data were collected anonymously through a self-administered electronic questionnaire using Google Forms. Participants were recruited using convenience sampling for undergraduate students and proportional cluster sampling for registrars. The questionnaire included demographic items, the self-rated Index of Orthodontic Treatment Need-Aesthetic Component (IOTN-AC) and a modified 22-item Psychosocial Impact of Dental Aesthetics Questionnaire (PIDAQ). Analyses included descriptive statistics, independent-samples t-tests, one-way ANOVA, Pearson correlation, chi-square tests and multiple linear regression using SPSS Version 22.

RESULTS

A total of 70.4% of participants selected IOTN-AC photo 1 as most representative of their dentition, and 58.2% reported being satisfied with their dental appearance. There was a moderate positive correlation (r = 0.452, p  < 0.001) between self-perceived IOTN-AC severity and psychological-impact scores. Females reported higher psychological-impact scores (p = 0.008), while registrars reported lower scores than students (p = 0.015). Higher IOTN-AC severity groups differed significantly in psychological-impact scores (F = 4.567, p = 0.012).

CONCLUSION

Self-perceived dental aesthetic severity was associated with psychological impact among dental students and registrars. Psychological-impact scores also differed by gender and participant role. These findings support consideration of psychosocial assessment in dental education and patient-centred dental care.