World Journal of Dentistry

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VOLUME 13 , ISSUE 3 ( May-June, 2022 ) > List of Articles

ORIGINAL RESEARCH

Awareness and Attitude of Parents regarding Malocclusion and Early Interception of Oral Habits-associated Dentofacial Deformity in Children

A Vasanthakumari, Selvabalaji Arumugam, Parthiban Saket, S Preethi Archana, S Dhivya

Citation Information : Vasanthakumari A, Arumugam S, Saket P, Archana SP, Dhivya S. Awareness and Attitude of Parents regarding Malocclusion and Early Interception of Oral Habits-associated Dentofacial Deformity in Children. World J Dent 2022; 13 (3):266-270.

DOI: 10.5005/jp-journals-10015-2043

License: CC BY-NC 4.0

Published Online: 11-04-2022

Copyright Statement:  Copyright © 2022; The Author(s).


Abstract

Aim: This questionnaire study was formulated to investigate the awareness and attitude of parents toward malocclusion and early orthodontic treatment, thereby determining whether there is an association between parental perceptions toward their child's orthodontic treatment. Materials and methods: This descriptive, cross-sectional study was aimed to investigate parents’ awareness and concerns toward the effects of malocclusion and early orthodontic treatment. Parents of 500 children aged between 5 and 14 years diagnosed with oral habits associated malocclusion were only considered. An interviewer-administered structured close-ended questionnaire consisting of 10 questions was presented to the parents. The first segment consisted of questions related to parent's awareness of habits and malocclusion. The second segment questions were aimed to assess the attitude and concerns regarding of malocclusion and orthodontic treatment. The data collected were tabulated on a Microsoft Excel computer program, and descriptive statistics using the Chi-square test were carried out. The statistical analysis was performed using SPSS software V.20.0. Result: A total of 500 parents whose children were identified with malocclusion associated with habits completed the questionnaire, of which most parents (64%) noticed their child's irregular teeth. While 18% did not know any kind of oral habit causing irregular teeth in children, 66% did not believe that irregularly arranged teeth due to oral habits have an ill effect on a child's growth. Conclusion: Overall, a lack of awareness regarding malocclusion and early orthodontic treatment in children was observed among the parents. Parents should be motivated, informed, and educated regarding the prevention of malocclusion. More efforts should be made to initiate guardian/parental awareness about malocclusion and treatment in children. Clinical significance: Early implementation of preventive and interceptive orthodontics can help prevent further dentofacial complications and expenses of orthodontic treatment. It becomes the primary responsibility of dental health care professionals to educate the patient, their parents and create a general awareness about preventive and interceptive orthodontics and its benefits.


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