Dental practitioners' views on the need to treat developmental defects of enamel.
OBJECTIVE
To assess dental practitioners' views on the need to treat developmental defects of enamel (DDE). In addition, to identify factors associated with practitioners' treatment decision (tooth factors and dentist-related).


METHODS
A random sample of 300 Hong Kong dentists were sent a booklet containing computer-generated images of various forms of DDE and asked to rate the treatment need. In addition, some dentist-related information was collected.


RESULTS
The response rate was 79% (237/300). The majority of the dental practitioners considered that aesthetic treatment was indicated for people with DDE subtypes of brown demarcated opacities (51.0%), confluent/patchy plus staining and/or loss of enamel (80.2%), missing enamel (67.1%) and the combination of discolouration and diffuse opacities (83.1%); their decisions were in relation to the type (P < 0.001), size (P = 0.001) and colour (P < 0.001) of the enamel defects. Dental professionals who were older, self-employed, graduated from institutions overseas, or had postgraduate qualifications, tended to consider aesthetic treatment for the teeth that exhibited the milder forms of enamel defects (P < 0.05).


CONCLUSIONS
Dentists frequently perceive that DDE constitutes a 'great need' for dental treatment. Dentists' perceptions of the need to treat DDE is influenced by type, size and colour of DDE and associated with dentist-related factors, principally the age of the dentist.
Wong
Hai Ming
HM
Faculty of Dentistry, Department of Paediatric Dentistry and Orthodontics, University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong, China. gloriawhm@gmail.com
McGrath
Colman
C
King
Nigel M
NM
D000328:Adult; D000367:Age Factors; D001291:Attitude of Health Personnel; D003729:Dental Care / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D003743:Dental Enamel / Q000002:abnormalities*; D003815:Dentists / Q000523:psychology*; D004812:Epidemiologic Methods; D005260:Female; D006723:Hong Kong; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D023861:Photography, Dental / Q000379:methods