Aesthetical perception of dental fluorosis in a Colombian low income community

Introduction and objective: The Dental Fluorosis (DF) is a development de­fect of enamel resulting from overexposure to fluoride and can aesthetically compromise the patient. This study aims to investigate the relationship be­tween aesthetic perception and dental fluorosis (DF) in a low-income com­munity with high DF prevalence. Materials and methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted with 171 Colombian schoolchildren aged 8 to 12 years living in low socioeconomic community (El Cedro, district of Ayapel, Córdo­ba, Colombia). After receiving authorization, the students were examined for DMFT and dmft indexes (WHO criteria), and for DF (TF index). The aesthetic per­ceptions were verified by the Child Perceptions Questionnaire About Tooth Appearance (CQATA). Data analysis was carried out using descriptive statis­tics, the chi-square test, the Student´s t-test, the one-way ANOVA test, and linear regression at a significance level of p ≤ 0.05. Results: The prevalence of DF in this sample was 84.8% (n=145). Only the presence of caries (DMFT/ deft≠ 0) had a significant impact on aesthetic perceptions. A significantly lower rate was found in girls for the report of pleasant color domain. The number of teeth affected by DF had a significant positive correlation with mean overall perception of dental health. Conclusion: The presence of mild DF in children with low socioeconomic status, from a population with a high prevalence of the condition, did not seem to have an impact on the report of pleasant color of teeth domain.