Adolescents and young adults often associate an attractive dental appearance with good health and improved appeal. However, public perceptions of dental esthetics, especially concerning enamel defects, remain insufficiently explored. To address this, Swedish researchers examined how young adults (n = 2,082; aged 18–30 years) perceive molar incisor hypomineralization (MIH), fluorosis, and white spot lesions (WSLs) using an online questionnaire accompanied by clinical images. The study revealed that 94% of participants considered pigmented fluorosis unacceptable in appearance, followed by WSLs.
Among those, 90% identified deviant color on part of a tooth as the primary reason for their negative perception. Interestingly, participants valued uniform tooth color more than tooth whiteness, highlighting that even coloration contributes more to perceived esthetics than brightness alone. These…
