Sravanthi Tammineedi1, Sandeep Tammineedi2, Lakshman Chowdary Basam3, Ram Chowdary Basam4, Abhishek Harish5
BACKGROUND
Tooth discoloration, which is often considered as a deviation from the beauty
standards, is one of the significant factors that can affect an individual's mental
health and well-being. Therefore, determining the relationship between tooth
discoloration, its aesthetic treatment and mental health can provide answers for
the improvement of treatment services.
METHODS
The present study is a cross sectional study. 96 participants meeting the inclusion
criteria were assessed via demographic characteristics form and a standardized
Goldberg’s general health questionnaire (GHQ) - 28 before starting the treatment.
Following the assessment, a standard bleaching protocol was followed. Two weeks
after the completion of the treatment, the patients were re-assessed using the
same questionnaire. The data obtained were analyzed using the statistical package
for social sciences (SPSS) software. The analysis was performed using descriptive
statistics and chi square test for correlation analysis. Wilcoxon sign rank test was
used to compare the scores before and after the intervention.
RESULTS
Higher GHQ scores were associated with younger age groups, females, unmarried
persons, and lower education levels. The participants mainly showed higher mean
social dysfunction scores (17.7), followed by anxiety scores (12.2) compared to
somatic (7.7) and depression scores (4). The mean total GHQ scores were
significantly decreased after aesthetic intervention. The mean GHQ scores were
reduced from 42.5 before the bleaching treatment to 21.4 post-treatment.
CONCLUSIONS
Tooth discoloration showed a significant impact on mental health, mainly affecting
the social functioning and the anxiety of the individuals. Tooth discoloration has a
significant impact on the mental health in younger age groups, females, unmarried
persons, and education status. The aesthetic intervention had significantly
improved the overall mental health of the individuals.
