Relationship between occlusion and satisfaction with dental appearance in orthodontically treated and untreated groups. A longitudinal study

Abstract

The aims of this study were to assess the relationship between occlusion, satisfaction with dental appearance, and self-esteem at the ages of 11 (T1) and 15 years (T2), and to study perceived treatment effects. Separate questionnaires were completed by children and their parents to determine their attitude. The dental casts of 224 children were collected at T1 and T2, and assessed by the Aesthetic Component (AC) and Dental Health Component (DHC) of the Index of Orthodontic Treatment Need (IOTN), and Peer Assessment Rating (PAR) Index. At T2, 16 children had been treated with removable and 51 with fixed appliances, while 157 were untreated. The children in the fixed appliance group had better dental aesthetics (AC) and occlusion (DHC) than those in the two other groups. Average PAR score reduction was 71.6 per cent (T1-T2) and satisfaction with own or child's dental appearance increased significantly. The untreated group showed increased malocclusions. In spite of that, the children expressed higher satisfaction with their own dental appearance at T2 than at T1, while the parents' satisfaction level was unchanged. For the total group, orthodontic concern at T1, AC at T2, and gender accounted for 18.0 per cent of the variation in the children's satisfaction with their own dental appearance. Parents' concern at T1 and AC at T2 accounted for 32.2 per cent of the variation in parents' satisfaction. Improvement in self-esteem from 11 to 15 years was not correlated with treatment changes. A gender difference was found. The answers to the questionnaire indicated that both children and parents rate pleasant aesthetics as an important factor for psychosocial well being.

Satisfaction with orthodontic treatment

“…2,6 This can be explained by the different motivations and expectations of patients receiving orthodontic treatment. Most studies report functional, esthetic, and social reasons as the main motives to seek orthodontic treatment.…”

Agreement between mothers and children with malocclusion in rating children's oral health-related quality of life

“…Birkeland et al 30 examined the relationship between dental appearance and satisfaction longitudinally in orthodontically treated and untreated individuals. They found that although 92 percent of treated children's parents were sure that they would choose to let their child go through the same treatment again, only 34 percent were sure that the treatment result was of a positive importance to their child's social skill, 23 percent that it was likely that it would have a positive influence on the future choice of mate and 19 percent that it would be of significance for their child's future working career.…”

Patient’s satisfaction with orthodontic treatment at King Khalid University, College of Dentistry, Saudi Arabia

“…Patient satisfaction after orthodontic treatment is influenced by a number of factors 7,8,14,15 . The investigations of patient satisfaction after orthodontic treatment have shown a wide range of satisfaction levels [16][17][18] . The use of different questionnaires to assess satisfaction makes comparison with other studies difficult.…”