Akademik Veri Yönetim Sistemi
JOURNAL OF DENTISTRY, cilt.163, 2025 (SCI-Expanded)
Objective: This study aimed to evaluate the influence of enamel defects in anterior teeth associated with molar incisor hypomineralization (MIH) on peer perception of smile esthetics in children and adolescents. Methods: A total of 288 children and adolescents aged 10-14 years from both public and private schools participated. Each participant evaluated standardized photographs of peers' smiles, either showing MIH-related anterior enamel opacities or digitally altered to appear defect-free. Participants rated each image across four psychosocial domains: athletic ability, social competence, leadership potential, and academic performance. Independent-sample t-tests were used to compare ratings between smile types, and General Linear Models (GLMs) were applied to analyze the influence of evaluator-related variables such as age and gender. Results: Digitally modified smiles received significantly higher ratings than unedited images for athletic ability (59.72 f 0.86 vs. 50.94 f 0.89; mean difference = 8.78, p < 0.001), social competence (52.62 f 0.80 vs. 43.78 f 0.81; difference = 8.84, p < 0.001), leadership potential (64.15 f 0.84 vs. 56.44 f 0.86; difference = 7.71, p < 0.001), and academic performance (62.52 f 0.79 vs. 58.36 f 0.83; difference = 4.16, p < 0.001). GLM analysis indicated that evaluator age and gender were stronger predictors than smile type, with older children and female evaluators demonstrating greater esthetic sensitivity (p < 0.05). Conclusion: MIH-related enamel defects in anterior teeth negatively affect peer perception, but evaluator-related factors such as age and gender play an important role in shaping social judgments. Clinical significance: This study demonstrates that enamel defects in anterior teeth caused by MIH not only present a clinical challenge but also influence how children are perceived by their peers in terms of social attributes.