Perception of midline diastema in dental‑ and nondental‑oriented individuals
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Date
2018
Authors
Akinboboye, Bolanle
Umesi, Donna
Esan, Temitope
Journal Title
Journal ISSN
Volume Title
Publisher
Wolters Kluwer-Medknow
Abstract
Background: The perception of maxillary midline diastema differs in different individuals and continent. Culture and other factors are
believed to influence the perception of maxillary midline diastema. The aim is to determine the influence of dental knowledge on the
perception of maxillary midline diastema. Materials and Methods: Study was done in Nigeria, which consists of diverse ethnic and
social African groups. A two‑stage sampling method was done to select participants between the ages 20 and 49 years. Participants
were randomly selected from the University of Lagos and Teaching Hospital, Lagos, Nigeria. A structured questionnaire including a
set of color smile photographs with varying sizes of maxillary midline diastema (narrowest = 2 mm; widest = 6 mm) was administered,
and grading of attractiveness of smile was done. This information was evaluated using a Likert scale. Results: Study participants were
89 and age range was between 20 and 49 years with the mean age being 27.9 ± 7.9 years. Female participants were 49.4%, while
male was 50.6%. The proportion of those who were medically inclined was 47.2% and those that were nonmedically inclined were
52.8%. Prevalence of midline diastema was 16.9%. About 52% of the medically inclined and 48.9% of nonmedically inclined participants
rated maxillary midline diastema of 4 mm as acceptable (P = 0.02). At 6 mm width, there was a general rating of unattractiveness
with 83.3% medically inclined and 66% nonmedically inclined participants rating it unattractive (P = 0.03). A higher percent (73.8%)
of the medically inclined participants did not like midline diastema (P = 0.00). Conclusion: This study was able to demonstrate the
perception of maxillary midline diastema in dental and nondental professiona
Description
Keywords
Dental, diastema, knowledge, midline
Citation
Sahel Med J 2018;21:104-8.