Parental perceptions of early interceptive orthodontic intervention in children and adolescents: a cross-sectional study

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ABSTRACT

Aim

This paper aims to evaluate parental awareness regarding early orthodontic consultation and treatment. Additionally, it seeks to explore the correlation between this awareness and factors such as the number of children per family, their ages, and parental perception of dental issues including overjet, overbite, and malocclusions.

Methods

A cross-sectional questionnaire-based approach was conducted. The questionnaire, adapted from a previous study, underwent pilot testing before distribution among parents at the Universidad Católica de Valencia, Spain. A sample size of 216 participants was determined. Criteria included children aged 6–17 attending UCV clinics, with exclusion of those with craniofacial anomalies. Primary variables included parental perception of early orthodontics, with secondary variables such as gender, age, and perceived dental misalignment. Analysis involved Microsoft Excel and Pearson’s chi-squared test.

Results

After analysing the questionnaire, 81.84% of these parents thought that their children’s teeth would have a significant impact on their personality. Moreover, 70.83% parents thought that their children had a problem with their teeth; 107 of these parents consulted a dentist and 87 consulted an orthodontist (27 of these parents initiated orthodontic treatment). The number of children visiting an orthodontist was found to rise with increasing age. Moreover, a perceived overjet was associated with a higher number of orthodontic consultations.

Conclusion

Although parent’s awareness regarding their children’s orthodontic treatment is important, other factors, such as age of the child, the severity of the malocclusion, the perceived overjet and overbite and the consulted dentist, play a role in initiating orthodontic treatment.

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