ORIGINAL RESEARCH article
Front. Oral Health
Sec. Oral Health Promotion
Volume 6 - 2025 | doi: 10.3389/froh.2025.1624308
This article is part of the Research TopicEnhancing Oral Health Literacy and Quality of Life: Strategies for a Healthier FutureView all 6 articles
Evaluating the Role of Dental Education in Shaping Aesthetic Preferences and Clinical Choices in Cambodia
Provisionally accepted
Chhean Pisethsathya1Chhim Chamroeun1Phav Samnang1
Anand Marya1*
Abedelmalek Kalefh Tabnjh2,3,4*
Siddharthan Selvaraj1,5- 1Faculty of Dentistry, University of Puthisastra,, Phnom penh, Cambodia
- 2Department of Cariology, Odontology School, Sahlgrenska Academy, Gothenburg University, Gothenburg, Sweden
- 3Department of Applied Dental Sciences, Faculty of Applied Medical Sciences, Jordan University of Science and Technology, Irbid, Jordan
- 4Dental Research Unit, Center for Global Health Research, Saveetha Medical College and Hospital, Saveetha Institute of Medical and Technical Sciences, Chennai, India
- 5Department of Dental Research Cell, Dr.D.Y. Patil Dental College & Hospital,, Pune, India
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Aim: The aim of this study is to evaluate and compare the factors influencing perceived dental appearance among dental and non-dental university students. Methods: A questionnaire was provided to all the consenting participants in the study. The survey was validated with a pilot study and the results of the pilot study were not included in the final results. A total of 420 participants were recruited for the study, of which 210 were dental students and 210 were non-dental students. The recruited participants answered questions regarding smile and esthetics perceptions using a validated questionnaire. Results: Significant differences were observed between groups in perceptions of facial and dental aesthetics, with non-dental students placing more importance on features like nose shape (P = 0.038) and white or specific tooth shapes (P < 0.05). Dental students showed greater awareness of dental alignment but reported lower overall satisfaction. Non-dental students had higher aesthetic treatment experience and intentions (P < 0.05), brushed more frequently, but flossed and visited the dentist less often. Overall, non-dental students had significantly higher satisfaction scores than dental students (P < 0.001). Conclusion: It was observed that both dental and non-dental students had a good awareness on esthetics; however, dental students showed greater sensitivity towards aesthetics due to their deeper knowledge and educational background. On the other hand, non-dental students due to their superficial knowledge regarding dentistry had higher expectations from dental treatment and expressed unrealistic esthetic demands.
Keywords: Dental students, Non-dental students, Dental esthetics, patient perceptions, smile
Received: 07 May 2025; Accepted: 26 Aug 2025.
Copyright: © 2025 Pisethsathya, Chamroeun, Samnang, Marya, Tabnjh and Selvaraj. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY). The use, distribution or reproduction in other forums is permitted, provided the original author(s) or licensor are credited and that the original publication in this journal is cited, in accordance with accepted academic practice. No use, distribution or reproduction is permitted which does not comply with these terms.
* Correspondence:
Anand Marya, Faculty of Dentistry, University of Puthisastra,, Phnom penh, Cambodia
Abedelmalek Kalefh Tabnjh, Department of Cariology, Odontology School, Sahlgrenska Academy, Gothenburg University, Gothenburg, Sweden
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