Development and Validation of the Periodontal Aesthetic Perception Scale in Patients With Periodontal Problems

Aesthetics for individuals become increasingly important, while the aesthetic effects of periodontal disease is an important issue that should be assessed by the patient's perception. The results demonstrate that the periodontal aesthetic perception scale showed reliable and valid scores in healthy controls and periodontal patients. The periodontal aesthetic perception scale may be an appropriate tool to assess periodontal esthetic in clinical and research settings.

Aim: The aim of this study is to develop and validate a periodontal aesthetic specific tool to assess aesthetic conditions perceived by patients with periodontal problems. Methods: With patient interviews were identified a total of 22 statements that describe the non-aesthetic gingival appearance. These 22 items were reviewed by the dentists and then Periodontologists and the number of items in the survey was reduced to 7. Subsequently, three groups of patients were included in the study: Gingival recession (GR) group, gingival enlargement (GE) group and periodontal healthy (H) group. Consequently, the validity and reliability of the periodontal aesthetic perception scale (PAPS) were examined. Results: According to the results of the Exploratory Factor Analysis (EFA), 1 item was removed from the scale. The final 6-item questionnaire was shown to have a two-domain structure. Cronbach's alpha for the whole scale was .766. The interclass correlation coefficients (ICCs) values were between 0.98 and 1.00, demonstrating excellent agreement. Overall, these findings indicated that the PAPS has good reliability. Conclusion: This reliable, valid and short questionnaire specific to aesthetic conditions perceived by patients with periodontal problems may serve as a valued instrument in future clinical trials.