Cosmetic dental treatment in an adult Dutch population

In 1992 a follow-up to the Dutch national dental survey of 1986 (DNDS) was performed. The main objective was to analyse changes in oral self care, dental attendance, and oral health status. A postal questionnaire was used: 936 persons (44 per cent response) participated in the study. This paper will focus on the results concerning cosmetic dental treatment. Stepwise regression analyses were used to study the effect of dental and social variables. Relative risks (RR) were computed to clarify the effect of these variables. Of the group of respondents, 90 persons reported having been treated with veneers on their anterior teeth. The variables indicating cosmetic dental treatment needs established during the DNDS clinical dental examination, showed a statistically significant influence. 'Objective need': RR = 2.6; 'Subjective need': RR = 2.1. Out of 877 respondents with restorations present in 1986, 19 per cent reported having one or more of them replaced by composite or porcelain. Four variables were found to have a statistically significant influence: 'Subjective need': RR = 1.7; 'Number of filled tooth surfaces': RR = 1.6; 'Number of decayed tooth surfaces': RR = 1.4; and 'Frequency of toothbrushing': RR = 1.6. Whereas the dentists' opinions had the most influence on having veneer treatments, the patients' opinions had more influence on having amalgam restorations replaced with composite or porcelain.