Orthodontic concerns of Brazilian children and their parents compared to the normative treatment need

Abstract

Abstract:The objective of the present study was to evaluate the interest of both children and parents towards orthodontic treatment and compare it to the normative treatment need as well as to determine the factors related to such an interest. The sample consisted of 407 schoolchildren aged between 9 and 12 years and their parents from Nova Friburgo (Rio de Janeiro), Brazil. The orthodontic concern expressed by children and parents was obtained by means of a questionnaire. The normative need was evaluated using two components of the Index of Orthodontic Treatment Need (IOTN). Data analysis involved multiple logistic regression. Normative treatment need was greater than the children's self-perceived treatment need. The parents expressed more interest towards orthodontic treatment of their children than the children themselves. The orthodontic concern expressed by both groups was greater than the normative need for orthodontic treatment, and such a finding was associated with gender of the children (female) and self-perceived treatment need expressed by them. The lack of a relationship between the normative treatment need and the orthodontic concern of children and parents shows that such assessments should be performed when orthodontic treatment is indicated, particularly in terms of public health, as the demand is greater than the services supplied. (J Oral Sci 52, 101-107, 2010)

Malocclusion and oral health-related quality of life in Brazilian school children

“…Previous studies have demonstrated that socioeconomic status influences the association between different oral conditions and OHRQoL. 8,11,13,14 No statistically significant differences were found between genders regarding the impact of malocclusion on OHRQoL, which corroborates some previous studies. 12,13,15,16,30 However, gender has been described as a factor affecting the self-perception of dental appearance/malocclusion.…”

“…4,[12][13][14] However, three of these previous studies were carried out with adolescents, 4,12,13 and the other one, despite investigating children with an age group similar to that of the present study, did not use a validated instrument to measure the OHRQoL. 14 Individuals with malocclusion (particularly in the anterior region) may require orthodontic treatment in order to improve oral health, dental function, and esthetics, resulting in an improvement in OHRQoL.…”

“…This statement is supported by the present study, since anterior segment spacing and anterior mandibular overjet were associated with negative OHRQoL, as well as by a previous study with a similar age group that showed that malocclusion in the anterior teeth, especially crowding and increased overjet, was a cause of concern for children. 14 Schoolchildren belonging to families with low income were almost 60.0% more likely to experience a negative impact on OHRQoL than those from families with the highest income. This result is in agreement with another study carried out in Brazil that found that 69.0% of individuals were unable to enjoy the benefits of treatment due to the financial costs involved.…”

“…8 However, the majority of the studies that investigated the impact of malocclusion on OHRQoL focused on adolescents with permanent dentition. [3][4][5][8][9][10][11][12][13][14][15][16][17][18] As children's feelings about their dental appearance begin early, at about 8 years of age, children have criteria similar to those of adults regarding the selfperception of body image. Occlusal changes may occur in the mixed dentition and affect self-image.…”

Perception of children and mothers regarding dental aesthetics and orthodontic treatment need: a cross-sectional study

“…Furthermore, gender can be associated with dental appearance according to the mothers and children’s perception, so it was noted that mothers of girls tended to be dissatisfied with the dental appearance of their daughters, which could be observed with regard to the child’s self-perception. This issue is controversial in the literature, and there are studies that either prove this association [16, 17] or not [18, 19]. However, the variability in the methodological approach of these studies is well known, with different designs, samples, and indicators.…”