A discrepancy is encountered between the esthetic self-perception and the actual need for treatment. The aim was to determine the influence of dental education on the patients' attitude, esthetic self-perceptions, and shade selection. This cross-sectional study asked participants to select the perceived shade of their incisors using a shade guide, and to complete a self-administered questionnaire assessing their attitude regarding teeth shade. The color coordinates (L*, a*, and b*) of their actual shades were recorded clinically, using a digital spectrophotometer. A Pearson correlation assessed the relation between the perceived and actual color coordinates. A linear regression assessed the association between the attitude towards the esthetic self-perception, background factors, and actual shades. A clinical shade selection was done digitally for 536 participants, comprising 40.1% preclinical dental students, 37.3% clinical dental students, and 22.6% non-dental participants. The perceived and actual a* and b* values were significantly correlated in the preclinical students, and L* and b* were correlated in the clinical students. Those who had not received any dental education showed better attitude scores than the clinical students. The color-matching skills were improved by education; therefore, this emphasizes the importance of teaching color selection in dental schools. Dental esthetic self-perception is also improved by increasing knowledge and skills through exposure to a variety of comprehensive dental cases.
Keywords: dental education; digital shade; esthetics; self-perception; spectrophotometer; students.