Abstract Objective:

To investigate the association between oral health problems and being ashamed of smiling or speaking among Brazilian adolescents.

Material and Methods:

This was a population-based cross-sectional study carried out with secondary data from 7,328 12-year-old Brazilian adolescents from the latest Brazilian national oral health survey (SB Brasil 2010). The question "In the previous 6 months, have you been ashamed of smiling or speaking due to your teeth?" was the outcome variable. Calibrated examiners performed clinical examinations on adolescents for the diagnosis of dental caries (DMF-T), dental trauma, dental fluorosis and occlusal alterations. Data were analyzed descriptively and by Poisson unadjusted and adjusted Poisson regression analysis (p<0.05). The final model was controlled by family income.

Results:

The prevalence of being ashamed of smiling or speaking was 13.6%.

The following variables were associated with the outcome:

female sex (PR= 1.33; 95% CI: 1.17-1.53), cavitated dental caries on upper incisors (PR= 1.81; 95% CI: 1.51-2.15), dental trauma (PR= 1.36; 95% CI:1.16-1.60), increased maxillary overjet (PR= 1.36; 95% CI:1.18-1.57), dental crowding (PR= 1.60; 95% CI:1.40-1.83), midline diastema (PR= 1.30; 95% CI:1.11-1.44), tooth loss (PR= 1.45; 95% CI:1.16-1.80), mild/questionable dental fluorosis (PR= 1.23; 95% CI:1.06-1.44) and moderate/severe dental fluorosis (PR= 1.67; 95% CI:1.15-2.44).

Conclusion:

Oral health problems that impact dental aesthetics were predisposing factors for being ashamed of smiling or speaking in Brazilian adolescents (AU).