CDA Essentials 2018 • Volume 6 • Issue 1

S upporting Y our P ractice The following is based on an Applied Research article originally published on JCDA.ca —CDA’s online, open access scholarly publication that features articles indexed in Medline, Journal Citation Reports and Science Citation Index. Research Summary The Impact of Dental Care on Patients’ Lived Experiences Straight, white teeth have become a cultural ideal. And as acquiring “perfect” teeth is often quite costly, crooked and decayed teeth have become a sign of social vulnerability. 1 A large body of literature has already established the link between physical attractiveness and attribution of positive personality traits, showing that “what is beautiful is good” in the eyes of most social audiences. 2 Researchers who have looked specifically at dental appearance have reached the same conclusion: people with straight, white teeth are appraised more positively in terms of their social competence, intellectual ability, psychological adjustment and relationship satisfaction. 3,4 For example, Eli et al. 5 presented their study participants with pictures of people with visibly decayed front teeth or the same people with intact dentition. Participants were then asked to assess candidates based on esthetic, professional, and social traits. In all three categories, the people with intact dentition were associated with more positive attributes compared with their decayed-dentition equivalents, suggesting that the esthetic appearance of teeth affects impression formation. Other studies have raised questions about a link between dental appearance and employment outcomes. 6-8 My aim in this study was to expand on the existing literature by considering the perspective of people with poor oral health, who have had the benefit of dental treatment. This contrasts with most of the literature, which focuses on the reactions of others. More specifically, I was interested in how these people experienced the appearance issues their dental problems created for them and how they understood the effects of the dental treatment they received. Methods To determine the effects of dental care on lived experience, I interviewed 6 patients who had recently received dental care from an outreach program in Ontario. All were recruited through the dental outreach organization, which agreed to distribute information about the study to a sample of their patients so that those who wished to participate could contact me. Although I did not have specific participant criteria for the study, the nature of recruiting through the dental outreach program limited participants to adults demonstrating financial need. Three of the participants were male, and the other 3 were female. Each interview lasted approximately 25 minutes: 4 took place in person, another 2 over the telephone. Those interviewed in person signed consent forms, while those with phone interviews provided verbal consent after reading a copy of the consent form. Respondents did not receive compensation for their participation in the study. I used a qualitative research method to gain an in-depth understanding of the issue. I approached this research using the symbolic interactionist perspective. Symbolic lorettamkerr@ gmail.com Loretta Kerr, BASc (Hon) Ms. Kerr is a DDS candidate (2020), faculty of dentistry, University of Toronto. Ms. Kerr completed this project at McMaster University under the supervision of Dr. Dorothy Pawluch. Theviewsexpressedarethoseoftheauthor anddonotnecessarilyreflecttheopinions orofficialpoliciesoftheCanadianDental Association. 29 Issue 1 | 2019 |