Dental aesthetics moderate the association between negative views of aging and psychological distress

In late adulthood, a positive body image has been shown to moderate the association between broader ageist attitudes and psychological wellbeing. An important aspect of body image often overlooked in this age group is how attractive and healthy one’s teeth appear. Since age-related declines in oral health negatively impact orofacial appearance and are also associated with poorer mental health, this study provided the first test of whether perceived dental aesthetics also moderates the relationship between negative views of one’s own aging and psychological distress. A representative sample of 604 adults with the same proportion of participants as the national United Kingdom population across three core demographics (age, sex, ethnicity) completed a survey that included validated measures of subjective age, body image and perceived dental aesthetics. Correlational and moderation analyses revealed that, as predicted, not only was holding more negative views of one’s own aging linked to poorer mental health, but this relationship was moderated both by body image in general, and perceived dental aesthetics specifically. Thus, the adverse association between age-based self-perceptions and mental health was strongest for those who held a poorer body image, and/or who reported more negative perceptions about their orofacial appearance. Thus, while extensive literature reveals that how attractive or healthy one’s teeth appear contributes to self-esteem and self-worth in young adulthood, the current study reveals that this aspect of body image remains important at later stages of the adult lifespan: perceived dental aesthetics moderates the association between negative views of one’s own aging and psychological distress.