Self-rating of Satisfaction with Dental Appearance in an Elderly German Population

Objective: To assess data on satisfaction with dental appearance in old age.

Design: Cross-sectional study of an elderly non-patient group born from 1930 to 1932.

Setting: Two urban regions of Germany.

Participants: 225 subjects (73-75 years, 49.3% male).

Methods: A questionnaire was completed. Descriptive analysis and bivariate analysis of gender differences, and a regression model for multivariate analysis were performed.

Main Outcomes: Satisfaction with overall dental appearance, tooth/denture colour, shape, and position, and importance of dental appearance to overall appearance.

Results: Importance of dental appearance to overall appearance was rated high (7.5 +/- 2.0, where 10 denotes most important), as was overall satisfaction with dental appearance (7.2 +/- 1.8, where 10 denotes best possible). Up to 12% were not at all satisfied with tooth/denture colour, shape, or position, however. Women were more critical when judging overall satisfaction with dental appearance (p = 0.02). A significant positive association was obtained between overall dental appearance and position of teeth (p < 0.001).

Conclusions: Satisfaction with dental appearance was high, as was the importance of dental appearance to elderly patients. Both aesthetic and functional aspects should therefore receive special attention in dental treatment. In this context the position of teeth should be regarded as of special importance.