We were able to find a relationship between individual variables and both dependent variables: number of decayed teeth (perception of teeth and oral conditions) and DMFT (gender, perception of teeth and oral conditions, dental service use, adolescent's age).
In the present study, the relationship between worse self perception of teeth and oral condition and higher number of decayed teeth was observed, as in other studies [ 8, 19, 50, 51] that have reported intervenient variables such as the use of health services, daily tooth brushing and income.
In the cognitive interviews, parents entered multiple responses to questions related to the look of their child's teeth, and their overall perception of tooth color.
Dental appearance was viewed by the parents in terms of color of the teeth and also by the straightness of the teeth as in the following comment: "You look at someone with really crooked teeth; I always think why didn't your parent do something to help you?…" There were also differences between high- and low-income parents with respect to perception of tooth color.
Perception of tooth color is a complex phenomenon that is influenced by many factors including lighting conditions, the optical properties of teeth (translucency, opacity, scattering of light, surface gloss), and the viewer's visual experience [ 25].
This embarrassment was associated with 1) the act of self-neglect, 2) actual, visible tooth damage from neglect or 3) exaggerated perceptions of tooth damage associated with guilty conscience.
Vale et al [ 40] evaluated drawings of children aged 2 to 11 years, according to the Piaget's cognitive development scale, and found that children of all ages clearly represent their perception of what "beautiful teeth" and "ugly teeth" are.
Logistic regression models were analysed using the following explanatory variables: age, gender, recruitment setting, perception of TMJ pain, perception of dry mouth, number of teeth (< or ≥ 22), number of dental FUs (≤ or > 4) and number of decayed teeth (< or ≥ 7) (Table 5).
"I also see children with black teeth" Perception of their child's dental appearance "You look at someone with really crooked teeth; I always think, why didn't your parent do something to help you?" "I think even if your teeth are crooked, it is good oral health.
Perception of one's own teeth and impact of oral health on daily activities and on oral conditions is an important measurement of health, notwithstanding the fact that traditional measures have been based on objective variables [ 8].
Satisfaction with the appearance of teeth and the perception of orthodontic treatment need showed the same trend in both groups studied, with significant association.
