A dental-facial attractiveness scale. Part I. Reliability and validity

Area of Science:

• Orthodontics
• Dentofacial Aesthetics
• Psychometrics

Background:

• Orthodontic treatment decisions are often driven by concerns regarding dental-facial appearance.
• Existing malocclusion assessment methods may confound aesthetic and functional impairments.
• Objective evaluation of dental-facial attractiveness is crucial for treatment need assessment.

Purpose of the Study:

• To develop a valid and reliable index for objective assessment of dental-facial attractiveness.
• To differentiate aesthetic concerns from functional impairments in orthodontic evaluations.
• To provide a standardized tool for judging dental-facial attractiveness.

Main Methods:

• Photographic assessment of dental-facial attractiveness by lay and dental judges.
• Inclusion of children seeking orthodontic treatment, their siblings, and non-treatment-seeking children and their siblings.
• Utilizing the Treatment Priority Index to assess malocclusion severity.

Main Results:

• Children seeking orthodontic treatment were rated as significantly less attractive than those not seeking treatment.
• Dental judges perceived children seeking treatment as more attractive compared to lay judges.
• The developed index demonstrated moderate to high intraclass reliability coefficients.

Conclusions:

• Dental-facial attractiveness is a significant factor influencing the decision for orthodontic treatment.
• The developed index offers a reliable and objective method for assessing dental-facial attractiveness.
• This tool can aid in a more impartial evaluation of orthodontic treatment needs, separating aesthetic from functional considerations.