| Abstract [eng] |
Relevance of the problem and aim of the study. As aesthetic dentistry is becoming more and more popular, more and more people are becoming interested in tooth whitening procedure. With the increasing popularity of this procedure, this study aims to find out what patients' knowledge of teeth whitening is. The aim of the study is to find out patients' opinions on what is needed for the teeth whitening process to be effective and the possible effects of teeth whitening on dental tissues. Material and methods. An electronic survey was used to collect data. Initially, a pilot survey was administered to a group of 19 people, which was then used to develop a basic questionnaire consisting of 29 questions divided into two sections: socio-demographic questions and questions about teeth whitening. The questions on teeth whitening were based on a Likert scale. 261 respondents took part in the survey. The data obtained were processed and analysed using IBM SPSS Statistics 29.0.0.0 and Microsoft Office Excel 2013 software. Results. The majority of the respondents were women (84.7% of women and 15.3% of men). Two thirds of the respondents indicated that they would choose teeth whitening, while the rest of the respondents indicated that they would not choose teeth whitening, citing the main reasons being increased post-procedural tooth sensitivity and uneven tooth colouration with the existing restorations after teeth whitening. The most frequent answer to the statements about teeth whitening among the respondents was 'don't know'. There were statistically significant differences in the assessment of the effects of teeth whitening on oral tissues between respondents living in cities and towns (p < 0.05). Conclusions. Patients lack knowledge about the mechanism of tooth whitening. Respondents tended to believe that teeth whitening may have a negative impact on dental health, but they did not know exactly how and why. |
