Attitude toward malocclusion and desire for orthodontic treatment among 9-17 year old Saudis

ABSTRACT

The objective of the study was to determine the attitude to malocclusion and the desire for orthodontic treatment among 9-17 years old Saudis. A cross-sectional epidemiologically study was carried out in a sample of 1459 pre-adolescent and Saudi subjects aged 9 to 17 years old. To measure the attitude toward malocclusion and the desire for orthodontic treatment, a questionnaire based on an orthodontic attitude survey was used. The findings revealed that 31 percent of the subjects were dissatisfied with thief diental appearance. Children below the age of 10 years were the most dissatisfied. The results indicated a positive attitude towards various aspects of orthodontic treatment such as braces' appearance and tolerance. However, 17 percent of the subjects fell that orthodontic braces were ugly and only 20 percent thought treatment could be quite painful. While a high percentage of the subjects [92 percent] agreed that proper occlusion is important, only 69.4 percent of them agreed on the importance of correcting malocclusion. Almost 52 percent of the subjects indicated a demand for orthodontic treatment. In analysis across age groups, no discernible pattern or statistically significant difference was detected. The majority of the subjects were concerned regarding their malocclusion and showed a desire for orthodontic treatment mainly for aesthetic improvement