London, Feb 25 (ANI): Nicole Minetti, the glamorous dental hygienist who helped Silvio Berlusconi flash his toothy grin again, has defended Italian Prime Minister's decision of selecting her for regional elections.

The 25-year-old helped put the smile back on Berlusconi's battered face after he visited her for treatment to two broken teeth which were damaged after he was hit in the face with a statue, reports The Telegraph.

Besides being only qualified as a dental hygienist one month before she treated the 73-year-old politician in December, she has appeared scantily clad on Italian TV.

However, Minetti has insisted that she was up to the job as a candidate for Berlusconi's People of Freedom party in the Lombardy region.

During an interview with Corriere Della Sera, Minetti said: "I was expecting criticism and being exploited but I think a lot of it is over exaggerated.

"I am not worried though - I am ready and I have done all my homework and I feel that I am qualified and up to the job. I know that I am young and I still have lots to learn but I don't like all this judgment of me without seeing what I have to offer."

She also spoke of her past as a TV showgirl: "I would ask newspapers to stop publishing photographs of me when I was on the television.

"I did it just to get some money and make ends meet when I was studying so that I would not have to rely on my family but my job is now something completely different." (ANI)