Esthetics has become an important issue in modern society, as it seems to define one’s behavior. In the past, functional demands were the main consideration in dental treatment. Today, with the decrease in caries prevalence, the focus has shifted toward dental esthetics. Objectives: The study was conducted to evaluate knowledge esthetic perception along with associated psychosocial impact of visibly discolored teeth due to fluorosis among adolescents aged12-16 years in Bangalore city. Method: The study surveyed a population of 200 school children (mean age, 11-12 years) in Bangalore city. The informed consent was taken from the participants/parents/head of the institutions. Questionnaire regarding esthetic satisfaction with visibly discolored teeth and it psychosocial impact was assessed among students. Children from representative schools were surveyed using the Tooth Surface Index of Fluorosis (TSIF). Chi-square/ Fisher Exact test has been used to find the significance of study parameters on categorical scale between two or more groups. Results: The results of the present study showed that study group had fluorosis ranging from mild to severe. The knowledge about dental fluorosis was poor. Majority of the participants (69%) related discoloration to improper cleaning habit. Only 10.3% thought it is due to excess of some mineral in water. The appearance of teeth did not make any influence on the pleasing look of their teeth (18.3%). Considering psychosocial impact of fluorosis on the study population, 73.6% of severe fluorosis cases sometimes felt it is indeed a factor influencing their behavior. Only 8% of severe fluorosis cases felt discoloration does influence their psychosocial activity. Conclusions: The present study revealed that adolescent population suffered from varying degree of fluorosis. The knowledge of fluorosis and the cause was not known to many children. They attributed it to poor oral hygiene practices. The study group was not able to give a decisive conclusion with regard to the appearance of the teeth. The psychosocial impact of fluorosis was sometimes great in severely affected children. Many children had no influence of fluorosis on their routine behavior.
Keywords: Dental fluorosis, esthetic perception, psychosocial impact.