Comparative Analysis of Two Methods for the Assessment of Aesthetic Impairment Involving Teeth

Abstract

Objective: To analyze and compare the effectiveness of two methods designed for the assessment of esthetic impairment in patients with missing teeth. Material and Methods: Two methods were addressed in this study: 7-level scale (7LS) and AIPE-Odonto/Brasil. Both tools are designed to assess esthetic dental impairment in civil and criminal Courts. One-hundred and thirteen dentists used the tools to assess dental esthetic impairment in four mock cases (one male and three females). The outcomes of their analyses were compared with pre-established gold-standard scores. Chi-square test was used to investigate the influence of dentists' sex, age, time of experience and forensic knowledge with their outcomes. Results: Dentists' outcomes were closer to the expected gold-standard scores when AIPE-Odonto/Brasil was used compared to 7LS (p < 0.05). Dentists' sex, time of experience and forensic knowledge were significantly associated with the scores obtained with both tools (p < 0.05). Conclusions: Comparatively, AIPE-Odonto/Brasil was more effective for the assessment of esthetic dental impairment involving missing teeth compared to the 7LS.