Development of an illustrated index of tooth appearance-perception-based quantification of tooth discolouration and surface defects.
BACKGROUND
Existing indices to quantify tooth discolouration are mostly aetiology-specific. An index of tooth appearance (IOTA), derived from all types of tooth discolouration and surface defects, would allow the quantification of attractiveness for psychological assessment and treatment planning


OBJECTIVE
To develop a perception based IOTA for quantification of all forms of tooth discolouration and surface defects.


METHODS
One hundred images of discoloured teeth were twice ranked by a panel of judges according to perceived attractiveness. Mean image score was then used to arrange the images into a continuum of attractiveness and from these, ten images were selected, to constitute the illustrated IOTA. A second panel of judges assessed 35 clinical pictures using the IOTA, on two occasions.


RESULTS
The first 100 images were assessed with a correlation of 0.79-0.81 between the two ranking sessions and with intra-group reproducibility of 0.8-0.94. The second panel of judges used the developed IOTA quickly, with an intra-judge correlation of 0.87 and inter-judge reliability of 0.72 and 0.74 for two sessions.


CONCLUSIONS
The IOTA could be used by clinicians as a tool for quantifying disfigurement in teeth, irrespective of aetiology or histology.
Private Specialist Paediatric Dental Surgeon, Mumbai, India.
Soma
S
Modi
Lucy
L
Williams
Rosemary
R
Greenwood
Neil
N
Davey
Peter
P
Crawford
D000328:Adult; D000567:Amelogenesis Imperfecta / Q000473:pathology; D000716:Anatomy, Artistic; D001271:Atlases as Topic; D003743:Dental Enamel / Q000002:abnormalities; D003744:Dental Enamel Hypoplasia / Q000473:pathology; D003811:Dentinogenesis Imperfecta / Q000473:pathology; D004955:Esthetics, Dental; D005260:Female; D009050:Fluorosis, Dental / Q000473:pathology; D006801:Humans; D007091:Image Processing, Computer-Assisted; D008297:Male; D008488:Medical Illustration; D008875:Middle Aged; D023861:Photography, Dental; D014070:Tooth / Q000473:pathology*; D014071:Tooth Abnormalities / Q000145:classification* / Q000473:pathology; D014075:Tooth Discoloration / Q000145:classification* / Q000473:pathology; D019553:Tooth, Nonvital / Q000473:pathology